Senior Sarah Stech lined up on the beach with five of her friends, scared and grasping the hand of the girl beside her, ready to make the plunge into the polar Virginia Beach water.

On February 7 the Special Olympics Buddies Club participated in the 2015 Polar Plunge Winter Fest in Virginia Beach. The plunge was in order to raise money for the Special Olympics in the area that the person chooses. Overall the event raised one million one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and counting for the special Olympics.

“I’m in the Special Olympics buddy club and Mrs. Roberts told us about the event,” said Stech. “I thought it sounded like a lot of fun.”

Each person had to raise one hundred dollars to register for the plunge. The Plungers could have the money donated to them by sponsors.

“Each person would have money donated to them. I asked my mom for ten dollars,” said Stech. “If you raised a certain amount of money you could win a towel, and for a little more you could win a bow tie.”

The teams could dress up in costumes for the plunge that matched a certain theme that they choose. The Special Olympics Buddies Club chose the theme of PG Royalty.

“The fashion marketing teacher, Mrs. Beales, Designed our costumes for us.” Said The Special Olympics Buddy Club sponsor Mrs. Roberts. “We had the royal crowns donated to us by Burger King.”

There were thirty five hundred people running at once into the icy water. The plungers could anywhere from up their ankles to all the way out into the water and smack the hands of the seal team waiting for them.

“They told us right before we ran in that the water was thirty nine degrees,” Said Roberts.

Roberts feels very strong about the causes and behind this event and the causes that it supports.

“It sounds so dumb, but it will make you feel so good,” said Roberts. “I have never been that cold to have my heart so warm.”