BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – 1,000 Vermonters will be jumping in a frigid Lake Champlain on Saturday morning as part of the 29th annual Special Olympics Penguin Plunge.
The event is Special Olympics Vermont’s biggest of the year, and they say they bring in up to 40% of their operating budget from it. This year, the top fundraising team raised a record-breaking $170,000 – and still counting.
“The fundraising effort has been incredible. We’ve really sort of had to pivot in Covid, and this is our first true Penguin Plunge back. We set a really lofty goal of $600,000, and we’re just about $30,000 shy of that as of this morning, so we’re really really excited about that,” said Kelsey Conway of Special Olympics.
Conway says if you’re planning on plunging, you must wear shoes. She says it’s also important to remember an extra pair of shoes for when you come out of the water, as well as extra warm clothes and towels.
Channel 3 is sponsoring the event, and you can see us there on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.