A bone-chilling but extremely successful night as the LaSalle Police Service hosted their first ever Polar Plunge for Special Olympics.
Over 160 people took part in the plunge on Thursday evening at the LaSalle Event Centre, including LaSalle mayor Crystal Meloche, police chief Michael Pearce, and many more.
All proceeds from the event will be used to provide vital programming and events for Special Olympics athletes across Ontario. However, 75 per cent of the money raised stays in LaSalle for local athletes.
Organizers of the plunge were looking to raise $10,000, but surpassed that by a landslide with nearly $50,000 being raised.
Lisa Homenick, event organizer and LaSalle Police Dispatcher, says the support has been overwhelming.
"Initially we thought we would have a goal of $10,000, 40 jumpers, we had no idea. Before Christmas I thought 'oh my gosh, we're not even going to get there', and then all of a sudden the momentum, and all of the community, and everybody that came together to make this happen - it was unbelievable!"
Michael Pearce, LaSalle's police chief, was the first to do the plunge and wanted to stay in for a whole minute. He says it was awesome.
"Actually it wasn't as bad as I thought, and I've done it before, going in for a minute at first I thought that was a bad idea, but by the time the minute was over it wasn't so bad."
LaSalle mayor Crystal Meloche says she's not at all surprised by the way the community stepped up.
"We have some amazing people who live in our community who's always willing to step up and support a special cause. And this means a lot to a lot of people in our community, and so I can't say thank you enough to our residents, and really to LaSalle Police for putting this together."
Alysa, the President of the Community & Justice Services program at St. Clair College, says it was nerve wracking before the jump.
"When I went onto the stairs it was really scary, and I wanted to turn around. I told the guy I was scared, and that I'm not doing it, but I changed my mind and I just jumped."
A handful of players for the LaSalle Vipers hockey team took the plunge, and were proud to help a good cause.
"Honestly, I thought it was going to be warmer than it was, but you get in there, it's for a good cause, get out. We're going to go again I think!"
"LaSalle comes out to support us every game we have, it's a packed barn in there, so we just wanted to show something and give it back to the community," says one of the players.
"Very good to do it with our team, we came as a team, it's good to get the guys together and go do something like this for the city of LaSalle, for sure."
Homenick says they definitely plan to continue this event yearly, and says she already has ideas for next year.
Graduating secondary school students currently enrolled in a program at St. Clair College that took the plunge will receive a $500 bursary from the college.
