The 2025 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games are coming to Grande Prairie, but before the weather warms up, the organization is hosting a chilly fundraiser to raise money and get people excited about the upcoming games.
On February 28th, Grande Prairie residents will have the chance to participate in a Polar Plunge event at Eastlink Centre to support the games. Games Manager Lisa Kerkhof explains the event aims to garner support for the games while serving as a fun way to celebrate the winter.
“It’s just like it sounds, you’re going to jump in some ice cold water, wade around, this one is going to be kind of quick, so you jump in and come right on out, and it’s lots of fun,” she says. “We’re doing what’s called a bin-style plunge, so we’ll have a bin with scaffolding around the top, so you jump in and jump out right afterward, it is taking place at Eastlink Centre so there is the pool and the hot tubs for after,” she laughs
Additionally, Kerkhof says anyone without an Eastlink Centre membership or who might not be up for a hot-tub warmup can take advantage of a complimentary hot shower after their dive.
The Games Manager says while participating in the event carries a $50 registration fee, the proceeds will go directly to Special Olympics Alberta, and the Summer Games.
“Because we have the Summer Games coming this year, we are able to have on-site, so the money will go back into hosting the summer games that are coming,” she says. “We put the athletes up in hotels, feed them for the weekend, so just general operational costs that way.”
“The rest of the money we’ll split between the local chapter for programming for the athletes here, and then Special Olympics does programming at the provincial level.”
Donation opportunities are not only available through participating in the plunge either, Kerkhof says there are a multitude of ways to support the games before, during, and even after the plunge.
“You can continue to fundraise on your own if you want, so if your family wants to support you in this endeavour, they can donate to your page directly, and then all that money goes to support Special Olympics at the Summer Games,” she says. “Those larger municipalities need a little bit more funding for their athletes year-round, so the money from these plunges goes back into those local communities.”
So what if you don’t feel like plunging into frozen water on your day off? Kerkhof says the event means much more than simply jumping in. She says the ultimate goal of the event is to build support for the event at the local level, so just showing up is half the battle.
“It is so much fun, it’s going to be super quick, we have scuba divers on-site in case there’s an issue,” she says. “We’ve got lots of people to help you get in and out of the plunge, but if you get on-site, and you’ve done some fundraising, you registered, and you just can’t bite that bullet, that’s totally okay too, you can dip your foot in, we just want people to come out, have a good time, and know that you’re supporting a great cause by doing it.”
Participants must be 16 or older and register ahead of time online, or in-person between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. the day of the event.
