CAPE GIRARDEAU – The 19th Annual Polar Plunge will take place on February 8th. Brave men and women from around the area will don costumes and swimwear and take “polar” dips into the lake at Cape Couty Park North. Their Reason for Freezin’ is the athletes of Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO)!
All proceeds from this year’s event will benefit training and competition for the thousands of SOMO athletes across the state, including right here in Cape Girardeau. The Polar Plunge is open to anyone 10 years or older who is a fan of having a good time for a good cause.
The event is hosted by Cape Police Department and will take place at Cape County Park North2400 County Park Drive. Day-of registration begins at Noon and the Plunge starts promptly at 2 pm.
“What an awesome experience it is to plan an event where people are willing and desire to do something out of their comfort zone to help someone else. What makes it even better that they have chosen to help the athletes of Special Olympics,” said Penny Williams, Development Director. In 2024, Polar Plungers raised over $63,000 for SOMO athletes. Each participant must raise a minimum of $75 to take the Plunge and can earn incentives by reaching fundraising goals. This year’s goal is $66,000 and organizers hope to break the million-dollar mark across the state with 10 events. For more information, please visit PlungeMO.org.
Thank you so much to our sponsors!
• Our Polar Level sponsors are Banterra Bank, River Radio, Cape Kiwanis Club, Cape County Park, Drury Southwest, Sam’s Club, Coad Toyota, AID/VIP, Marcellus Jones Foundation, Cape Police Dept., Cape Fire Dept, and Cape Parks and Recreation Dept.
• Our Tundra Level sponsors are 1NB, Culver’s, American Family-Laurel and Chris Adkisson, AID/VIP, Southern Cross Medical.
About Special Olympics Missouri
Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) is a year-round program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Thousands of athletes participate in 16 Olympic-type sports throughout the state. SOMO provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with their fellow athletes, their family and friends, and communities across Missouri. SOMO is proud of our financial health, returning 83% of every dollar back to program services. We are privileged to be recognized with these honors: Better Business Bureau A+ Charity Accreditation, Guidestar Gold Level and Charity Navigator 4-star rating. Special Olympics was also recently named Morning Consult’s No. 5 most trusted nonprofit. Thank you for trusting us with your donations, volunteer time and your goodwill. Visit Special Olympics Missouri at www.somo.org. Engage with us on X, Instagram, Facebook, Tik-Tok, Threads, LinkedIn and YouTube.