Plunge into Alki’s icy waters, and give to a good cause

As a city of inclusion, Seattle has a storied history of its citizens giving to good causes, and it’ll have a chance to do just that for the Polar Plunge on Saturday, Feb. 9.

RELATED: Seattle spends $30K to sponsor Special Olympics this July

The Polar Plunge has its participants run into the icy waters of Alki Beach in swimwear and stay there for a whole minute. And while the cold may be uncomfortable, money from the Plunge goes toward Washington state’s vibrant Special Olympics community.

“We have an incredible community that supports Special Olympics. We’ve got about 18,000 Special Olympics athletes that participate in about 24 different sports statewide,” Mary Do, Senior VP of Development for the Special Olympics, told KTTH’s Jason Rantz.

Last year, the Plunge raised over $20,000, and the hope this year is that 2019 will beat that. That money raised is what helps make the Special Olympics possible for Washington’s many athletes.

“That means equipment, venues, travel to our state games, hotel, whatever it is that they want to do, we take care of it,” said Mary. “Special Olympics is a sports organization, but we also have health initiatives — We are considered the largest health provider for individuals with intellectual disabilities.”

$650 trains one Special Olympics athlete for an entire year in any number of a variety of sports, from skiing to flag football. Funds from this year’s Polar Plunge will also support a couple dozen athletes headed to Abu Dhabi, representing Team USA.

Anyone who wants to participate in this year’s Polar Plunge can register here. The event will also feature live music, food trucks, a costume contest, and an indoor heated beer garden.

If you’re not feeling up for running into Alki’s waters in the middle of winter, you can also donate to any of the teams participating here.

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