COLUMBIA — The Special Olympics hosted its annual polar plunge event at Stephens Lake Park, where over 200 plungers helped raise more than $50,000.
The money raised will stay in Missouri and help provide high quality sports and other programs for people with intellectual disabilities.
Participants were able to start fundraising for this event in October of 2025. They were asked to raise $75 by noon on Saturday, including a $10 registration fee, to plunge.
Alex Jones, the Missouri Special Olympics central area development director, said people go all out when it comes to fundraising.
“We’ve had months of people fundraising and building their teams,” Jones said. “People take it seriously and they take a lot of care with raising their money.”
Plungers had the opportunity to dress up in different costumes and name their groups, like the “Polar Penguins” and the “Polar Paparazzi.”
“We work with a really great committee to plan, which is probably my favorite part,” Jones said. “We bring in officers from Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F, athletes, parents, everyone comes together to help plan.”