January 7, 2012 - Freezing For a Reason

They call it "freezing for a reason" and that's exactly what I did today. I jumped into the water... in January... to raise money for Special Olympics.

Originally I jumped at the chance to do this event because I'd always wanted to do a Polar Plunge, I just never got up the nerve to do one in Omaha where they had to chip the ice away to make room for the swimmers.

But I also knew I was doing it for another reason - those Special Olympic athletes. I have done numerous news stories on the Special Olympics during my 10+ years as a journalist, and those amazing athletes have touched my heart every, single time. Talk about a never say die attitude - and always, always with a smile on their face.

So today, I got to judge a sandcastle contest, draw some door prize winners and hang out with 400+ others like me who raised money (thank you very much dad!) and then jumped into some pretty cold water.

We had a blast!

I was blessed to have a child born without disabilities... the least I can do is help raise money for those who might need a little more help to get through life. If you ever have a chance to volunteer at a Special Olympics event - DO IT - you will wonder why you didn't sooner.

Here's the link to a quick piece my station did on the event: Polar Plunge 2012
You'll see me run in and out around 1:03 and 1:12 into the video. I'm wearing the red shirt and dark shorts.