There’s still time to register and donate for the 2025 Polar Plunge for Special Olympics in Yorkville

For Eva Parisi, seeing her daughter Sammy thrive in the Special Olympics Illinois showed her a remarkable side of her daughter she’d never seen before. It was as if a whole new world of possibilities opened for Sammy.

To ensure other families with special needs children get to experience the same magic, Parisi, her two daughters, her husband who is a Geneva police officer, and hundreds of other brave community members take the Polar Plunge.

The 2025 Law Enforcement Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Illinois is Sunday, March 2, in the chilly waters of Loon Lake at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville. People can still donate or register to plunge through the website. So far, 325 community members have pledged to plunge, with over $88,900 in charity donations raised.

The funds help provide the Special Olympic athletes with year-round training, personal and social development activities, and health education opportunities. Plungers must park at the Kendall County Fairgrounds to take a shuttle bus to the plunge site at 1:00 p.m.

The event is sponsored by several participating law enforcement programs, including the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, the Yorkville Police Department, the Geneva Police Department, and the Montgomery Police Department. Yorkville School District 115 also has a plunging team called the “Frozen Foxes.”

Parisi participates in the event as a coach for the Kendall County Special Olympics, dubbed the KCSO “Comets”. The nonprofit organization trains and supports about 100 athletes with ages ranging from eight to 70, with varying types of intellectual and physical disabilities.

“It’s become such a large family event for us, with me, my husband and both my daughters hyping up each other to jump in the freezing water and jump out,” Parisi said. “There’s no age boundaries. Anyone who is willing can come out and give it a try.”

Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Briars said the charity event grows each year because its great cause really resonates with the community.

“It helps bring the community together, and it’s an opportunity to support a very worthwhile cause,” Briars said. “Every year it gets bigger and more well-attended. It’s really something we all look forward to participating in and being a part of every year.”

Volunteers with Special Olympics Illinois said since beginning in 1995, the event has grown into a statewide phenomenon.

“The Polar Plunge raises critical funding for the Special Olympics Illinois community of over 55,000 athletes, young athletes, unified partners, coaches and volunteers to have access to life-changing programming,” Special Olympics Illinois said. “This includes yearround sports competition and training, health and wellness, as well as leadership and personal development.”

Parisi said she has been involved with the Special Olympics for the past 12 years, since her daughter was 8. She credits the games and social experiences for providing her daughter with opportunities she never dreamed of.

“When my daughter was younger, she wasn’t able to participate in soccer or gymnastics or go to sleepovers because of her disability,” Parisi said. “Special Olympics opened up so many opportunities for her, from sports to socially with all the new connections. The organization has become so dear to my family’s hearts because it showed us a different side of our daughter. This is what a lot of other families experience, as well.”

She said all the participants in the events and activities have become one large supporting team.

“We do a lot of events to help families support each other, whether it’s social needs or helping guide them through all the federal parts of having a child with a disability,” Parisi said. “It certainly helped my husband and I. When we first went, we saw all these families with special needs children and the shared struggles they go through. It opened our eyes and helped us realize we are not the only ones, that this is a strong community, it’s like a family.”