Will County sheriff’s deputy couple spearheads support for Special Olympics

Will County — In the line of duty, police officers may have to put themselves in unusual situations. Plunging into cold water, scaling a roof, or running long distances may be acts an officer is expected to do to save a life or apprehend a suspect.

To Will County Sheriff’s Deputies Victoria Sims Janovyak and Mike Janovyak, those activities also are for their work outside of the force and taken on annually for a good cause.

Victoria and Mike, a married couple, are the coordinators of the Will County Sheriff’s Office’s efforts to raise money for the Special Olympics of Illinois, and it is a project that has become close to their hearts and grown to involve their entire family.

“I’ve been involved for about 18 years since I was a police cadet,” Sims Janovyak said. “I thought it was cool to be involved in something that made a difference.”

She was recruited to take a leadership role in the program by then-Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Kirsch, whose adult daughter, Rikki, has been involved as an athlete in Special Olympics for most of her life.

“He asked me if I would be interested in taking over, and I’ve been doing it for about seven years,” Sims Janovyak said. “The first year I was his helper, then I took over, and got Mike involved.”

Recently, the sheriff’s office took part in one of its biggest fundraisers of the year, the Polar Plunge, which took place March 9 at the Braidwood Recreation Club.

Before the event, Sims Janovyak said that the sheriff’s deputies team had between 30 and 40 members signed up to take the plunge along with about 300 other volunteers from local schools and businesses. The team included sheriff’s deputies and people from the Will County Coroner’s Office and the Will County Highway Department, as well as members of their families, including Victoria and Mike’s 7-year-old twin sons.

“Last year was their first year and the boys made it in to their ankles before they ran out,” Sims Janovyak said, laughing. “This year, they said their goal is to make it to their knees.”

In 2023, the sheriff’s office raised $13,000 for the Special Olympics during the Polar Plunge and set a goal of $15,000 for 2024. That goal was exceeded, as the team raised just less than $20,000.

“We’ve been the top fundraising police department in our region for the Polar Plunge for the last several years,” she said. “Everyone who plunges has to raise at least $100. Fundraising isn’t too hard because a lot of people will say ‘I don’t want to do that, but I’ll give you 20 bucks.’ When I posted on Facebook that the boys were doing it – which they asked to do on their own, we didn’t push them – I think it took 10 minutes for them to each have their $100.”

Sims Janovyak enjoys sharing the Polar Plunge and Special Olympics events with the children, including her 3-year-old daughter, who still is too young to participate, because she thinks it sets a good example.

“There is always stuff for it laying around the house, so they ask about it a lot,” she said. “It’s a cool thing for them to see a way to give back to the community, and it’s a lot of fun.”

“Everybody recognizes it’s a positive thing to be involved with, and it’s great to bring smiles to these athletes.”

—   Mike Janovyak, Will County Sheriff’s deputy

Jumping into icy quarry water is not the only activity the Janovyak family takes part in for Special Olympics. The couple also participates in the Cop on a Rooftop event with members of their department and helps coordinate the Special Olympic Torch Run for the county.

On the rooftops and torch runs

The Will County Sheriff’s Office runs Cop on a Rooftop events at Dunkin Donuts locations in Joliet and Homer Glen in May to raise money for the program, which involves officers taking turns sitting on top of the buildings from 5 a.m. until noon while their fellow officers take collections and sell merchandise below.

The right to do the Cop on a Rooftop event goes to the department with primary jurisdiction in a community. The Joliet Police Department holds its own Cop on a Rooftop events at Dunkin Donuts locations in Joliet.

Those events are known to raise about $5,000 per location each year.

“Our department is awesome,” Mike Janovyak said. “Whatever we need to do, they’re all about getting more people involved, between the officers and civilian staff. Everybody recognizes it’s a positive thing to be involved with, and it’s great to bring smiles to these athletes.”

While Cop on a Rooftop and Polar Plunge are the biggest annual moneymaking events, Sims Janovyak said the sheriff’s office has experimented with smaller fundraisers throughout the year over time.

The final big event the pair coordinate each year is the Will County Sheriff’s Office leg of the Special Olympics torch run, which is part of a larger, regional event in June mimicking the torch run done before each Olympic Games.

“The Law Enforcement Torch Run takes place during the first week of June and a lot of departments in the state take part passing the torch,” Sims Janovyak said. “Will County has a 5-mile stretch from Route 52 and Laraway Road south to the Manhattan Village Hall, where we pass it off. The Illinois State Police hand it off to us, and we pass it to the Manhattan police.”

Several officers and retired officers, including Kirsch, make the entire leg of the run with the torch in a group.

“The run is more of an awareness event than a fundraiser,” Sims Janovyak said. “It’s passing the ‘flame of hope,’ and we spend the whole week traveling with it.”

The torch run includes 23 police departments running 150 miles and ends in Bloomington-Normal where the Special Olympics hosts its opening ceremonies for the summer athletics season at the Illinois State University stadium.

“I did the final leg in Bloomington-Normal my first year and to see the faces of all those kids when I came into the stadium, I was just like ‘I have to do this every year, it’s so cool,’” Sims Janovyak said. “They’re so excited to be a part of something this big.”

“I wanted to give back a little to the community,” Mike Janovyak said, when asked how he decided to get involved with his wife in the Special Olympics work. “Before this, I was involved in Pink Hills events, which goes to spread hope to people battling cancer. I took that mentality and I got involved with Special Olympics. It’s contagious to see the excitement of the participants, and it’s just such a fun experience. It’s a great thing to be part of, and I’m lucky to be involved in it.”

Janovyak said that it has been great to see awareness of the organization grow, and credits some of the expansion within the Will County police to his wife’s dedication.

“Steve Kirsch is who we learned it all from, but since Victoria took over it’s been a younger crowd getting more involved,” he said. “I’d say she’s had a big impact on growing it within the community.”

“I’m super excited by how much the word is getting out there and to see it expanding,” Sims Janovyak said. “And I’m thankful that our family supports us, and that the department allows us to do all these events. It’s a growing process, but each and every year we’re getting better and better.”