Bloomington Polar Plunge at Miller Park Lake

Posted on February 14, 2022
The Bloomington Polar Plunge will happen Saturday, February 26 at Miller Park Lake. (Photo courtesy Buck Stevens)

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – The 2022 Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Illinois is quickly approaching.

The Bloomington Polar Plunge will happen Saturday, February 26 at Miller Park Lake. Registration is from 9am-12pm.

Plunge Director Vanessa Campos says plungers raise nearly $2 million for the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois annually.

“All of this money is raised so that we can keep putting on year-round sporting events,” said Campos. “Our athletes don’t have to pay to be a part of Special Olympics. We always depend on our volunteers and the generosity of people who take the plunge.”

Participants raise a minimum of $100 in donations from friends, family, and co-workers in exchange for getting icy.

To register or donate you can visit plungeillinois.com.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…