On Friday, February 24th at 1:00 pm, members of the Belleville Police Service, Belleville Fire Department, Hastings EMS, Belleville Probation and Parole, and other community partners will be taking the plunge in the frigid waters of the Bay of Quinte in support of Special Olympics Ontario.

The 2023 Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Ontario kicked off on January 21st, 2023 and is occurring across the province with the final plunge taking place in Peel Region on March 25th, 2023. Next Friday, February 24th, 2023, Belleville will host the 3rd annual Polar Plunge in support of over 26,000 Special Olympics Athletes in Ontario as well as more than 80 athletes locally that participate in the games. 

This year, the Polar Plunge will help raise funds to enable more Hometown Games to take place in communities across the province and provide more athletes with opportunities to get back to playing the sports they love. Since launching in April 2022, over 4,000 medals have been awarded to over 2,500 Special Olympics Ontario athletes who competed in in-person competitions for the first time in over 2 years. “Plans are in place to continue delivering more Hometown Games in more sports and more communities across the province over the coming months. Athletes are excited to get back to the playing field competing in the sports they love – with your support, you’ll be enabling more quality competitions and bringing more smiles to the faces of Special Olympics athletes”.

Members of the Belleville and Quinte West Special Olympics community will also be in attendance to provide their support for the plunge but also let the community know that they are looking for athletes, volunteers, and families to join a movement that will transform the community by inspiring people, opening minds, accepting, and including people with intellectual disabilities and thereby celebrate the similarities common to all people. “We are rebuilding, seeking new volunteers, new sports and new partner clubs for summer and winter”. 

For more information about getting involved locally with Special Olympics, contact bqw.volunteers@specialolympicsontario.ca.

To donate to the Special Olympics Polar Plunge happening next Friday, February 24th, click on the following link and find one of the local teams https://polarplunge.ca.

If you would like more information, please contact Inspector Sheri Meeks at 613-966-0882 ext. 4084 or via email at smeeks@bellevilleps.ca.