MAGNOLIA – Officers from the Southern Arkansas University Police Department will be among several groups plunging into the National Guard Armory pond on Friday, Feb. 26, as part of the Area 15 Special Olympics “Polar Bear Plunge” fundraiser. The plunge will be the first of its kind in Magnolia.
Sponsored by Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and Magnolia Specialized Services, the plunge is a fund raiser for Area 15 Special Olympics. University Police Chief Eric Plummer is calling for back-up from the campus and community to ensure that his officers make the plunge. To qualify for the plunge, each officer must raise at least $50 to be donated to Special Olympics. A Web site has been set up for donations, and Plummer hopes that this will help the group reach its goal.
Other groups on campus will also be participating, and Dr. Sheri Baggett-McMinn, associate professor of health, kinesiology and recreation and sponsor of the HKR Club, said the goal of the event is to raise $2,000 for Area 15 Special Olympics. Similar events in other parts of the state take place on Saturday, but Baggett-McMinn said that the Magnolia event is being held on Friday in an effort to attract students.
Although the event is dubbed a “plunge,” Baggett-McMinn said participants only have to go as far as they are comfortable. “They just have to get wet,” she said.
For more information on participating in the Polar Bear Plunge, contact Baggett-McMinn at (870) 235-4138. To donate to the University Police Department’s team, visit the Web site, http://www.firstgiving.com/saupd.
