10th annual Polar Plunge in Fox Lake benefits Special Olympics Illinois

FOX LAKE – More than 300 people voluntarily jumped into the frigid water of Nippersink Lake on Sunday – in fact, they paid for the privilege.

“I think the worst part was standing and waiting to go in – the anticipation,” said Rebecca Jacobs of Fox Lake. “If it wasn’t so windy, it would have been a more pleasant experience.”

For the 10th year in Fox Lake, people took the Polar Plunge to raise funds for Special Olympics Illinois.

Jacobs and her mother, Linda, sat outside the changing tent as they wiped sand from the toes of their wet feet.

“My cousin, she was in the Special Olympics, and seeing what they have to deal with on a daily basis, the struggle they have to go through, the least we can do is go through a couple minutes of freezing our butts off,” Linda Jacobs said.

Although plunges are held at 22 locations throughout the state, the Fox Lake plunge benefits special athletes in Lake and McHenry counties, said Brenden Cannon, a Special Olympics area director.

As the event wrapped up for the afternoon, about $83,000 had been raised, but Cannon said he hoped to hit a goal of $90,000. Donations still can be made online at PlungeIllinois.com.

“You really see what the impact is to athletes and their families,” Cannon said. “A lot of them have been counted out when they were younger, to say the least. … You can see how much it means.”

Special Olympics has meant a lot to Katie Millar of Mundelein, who said her coaches are her biggest fans – aside from her mom.

“They respect me, encourage me and befriend me,” she said. “They believe in me, which helps me believe in myself. With that attitude, I am not afraid to try new things.”

She recently brought back a gold medal and two silver medals from the Special Olympics Illinois Winter Games in Galena, and in a few weeks her basketball team will compete in the Special Olympics version of March Madness.

“Your support means I can enjoy some friendly competition,” Millar told the crowd. “Your support gives me the opportunity to achieve. I feel good about myself because of you.”

James Williams, a Special Olympian from Lake in the Hills, said it has been wonderful to be acknowledged for playing sports that he loves.

Imagine being the kid who is ignored, made fun of, or who no one picks for their team, he said.

“Pretty sad, isn’t it? That was me,” he said. “Now, because of Special Olympics and these programs, I’m a superhero!”

While Williams donned a cape, four teachers from Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47’s Aspire program for students with autism dressed as rapper Vanilla Ice.

It was the fifth plunge for teacher Amanda Hardy.

“We really love our kids a lot, and would do anything for them, even if that means freezing our butts off,” she said.