On March 28, Edina Public Schools students will leap into ice-cold water to raise money for special needs students and athletes through the nonprofit Special Olympics Minnesota. The Polar Plunge works with Edina Unified, a program within the schools that helps connect differently-abled kids with their peers, while simultaneously gathering donations for Special Olympics.
Working with the program is a highlight for participating students. “It’s a fun privilege and a fun task, so I don’t find it difficult to be [in] Unified,” sophomore Ethan Hogervorst said. Hogervorst has been in Edina Unified for five years.
“I stay in the program because I know that it’s always a positive place,” freshman and two-year Unified member Safaa Hassan said.
Hogervorst also played a role in planning the Polar Plunge. “There’s a student organization made to help plan Unified events, and we organized activities such as hot cocoa and face painting,” Hogervorst said. All of this provides an incentive for community members to come to the event and support.
The Polar Plunge is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Unified and Special Olympics. Last year, it raised over $78,000. “[The Polar Plunge] raises money for our program so we can do fun activities and have what we need in our classrooms,” Hassan said. Funding the program aims to enrich education for all types of students. “Edina Unified is really great because you get to connect with your peers and learn more about things that you’re not really taught in conventional classrooms. It’s really a freeing experience,” Hogervorst said.
This year, plungers have raised almost $100,000. “Our community is what Edina Unified thrives on, and we hope to see as many as possible support plungers day of,” Hogervorst said.