Several Rush Henrietta Rotarians participated in and supported the Rochester Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics this year. This is Holly Evans' account of the event.
Sometime in late fall, a group of Rotarians were discussing the Polar Plunge and how it would be a good opportunity for our club's exchange student, Emma, to experience the brutal Rochester winter (and, of course, support a good cause). While this winter has been relatively mild, I made a deal with Emma that if she joined Aimee Synesael's polar plunge team I would join as well.
This is what led me to standing in a very crowded tent trying to locate anyone who looked remotely familiar on February 5th up in Charlotte. I was expecting the really cold dive into Lake Ontario. I was not expecting the amount of people that would be joining us in our plunging (including the spectators). While I exchanged messages with Lee and Maureen, the crowds of the tent seemed insurmountable. That said, as I weaved through the people, I saw the corner edge of a Rotary sign!
Excited as I was, when I finally made my way through the crowds to the sign, I learned this was not in-fact the Rush Henrietta Rotary but the Pittsford Rotary & Pittsford Interact Clubs. Luckily, I happened to know a few people from their club. They graciously let me join their group for the day as I was unable to locate our club members. Nonetheless, I plunged with the Rotary as promised and survived to tell the tale! It was actually a lot better than I imagined.
Just a few weeks later, I was lucky enough to meet some of the talented athletes that we supported through our plunging as Greek Peak Mountain Resort hosted the Special Olympics New York State Winter Games. It truly was an honor to meet some of these individuals and have the opportunity to help such a great organization.