Health & Fitness
Cool Penguins Brave Cold Temps for Special Olympics in Farmington
On Sunday, January 26, 191 eager participants jumped in the chilly waters at Winding Trails in Farmington wearing bathing suites, team jerseys and other creative costumes to raise money for Special Olympics athletes. The Farmington Penguin Plunge is held every year to raise funds that benefit over 14,000 athletes of all ages and abilities who participate in Special Olympics Connecticut’s year-round sports training programs and competitions statewide.
This year’s event brought school teams, families and friends together and raised a total of $52,000. Although the temperatures were colder than usual, there was joy and excitement in the air! A warming tent and hot chocolate was available for plungers and spectators. NBC Connecticut’s Amy Parmenter served as emcee of the event, announcing the teams as they dashed towards the water.
Sponsors at this event include: Emerson Process Management, Turley Communications and NBC Connecticut. Volunteers who lent a helping hand to ensure the event ran smoothly were from TD Bank, Emerson Processing, Avon High School Boys Basketball, Kohl’s, The Exchange Club, and Ethel Walker School. Members of the Farmington Fire Department, State Police divers and medical staff were on site to ensure everyone’s safety.
Find out what's happening in Farmingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
An outstanding team of students from Canterbury School, New Milford, was recognized for being the top fundraising school group at the event, raising $4,775. For their efforts and participation, they won the Cool School Challenge and an oversized trophy to bring back to their school to showcase for an entire year.
Seven more Penguin Plunge events are ahead this season. To find out more and register to Plunge at an upcoming event, visit www.soct.org. And, please follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SOCTconnecticut) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsCT ).
Find out what's happening in Farmingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
About Special Olympics Connecticut
Special Olympics Connecticut provides year-round sports training and competitions for over 14,000 athletes of all ages with intellectual disabilities and Unified Sports® partners - their teammates without disabilities.
Through the joy of sport, the Special Olympics movement transforms lives and communities throughout the state and in 170 countries around the world by inspiring inclusion and respect for all people, on and off the playing field.
