St. Clair College donates $15.5k during Polar Plunge kick off

by Dale Cabuquin

St. Clair College donated $15,500 for Special Olympics Ontario during the annual Polar Plunge kick off on Jan. 23 at the Softball Diamond field.  

The donation was a $500 increase from last year’s kick off. 

“I’d like to thank our local law enforcement and other first responders and partners in St. Clair College specifically for continuing this great tradition,” Windsor Police Chief Jason Bellaire said. “To date, we’ve raised nearly $500,000 for Special Olympics and nobody does this better than our volunteers and alliances.” 

According to the Polar Plunge website, the event is an annual fundraiser presented by the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run to support the 23,000 Special Olympics athletes across Ontario.  

“I’m proud to announce it’s our ten years of raising money for Special Olympics,” Windsor Police Constable Adam Young said. “Ten years ago, we formed a relationship with St. Clair College for Polar Plunge. All of the student body is a big reason why this plunge has gone on for that long.” 

Law enforcement in Windsor-Essex, including Windsor Police, Ontario Provincial Police and LaSalle Police, were present during the event.  

Students from different programs such as Border Services, Police Foundations and Pre-Service Firefighting Education and Training braved the cold and took the plunge.  

Ali Hadwan, a student from the Protection, Security and Investigation program, has been participating in the Polar Plunge for two years.  

“It was really fun and it was really cold,” Hadwan said. “It’s a nice way for students to gather around and meet with the law enforcement. Plus, it’s for a good cause for the Special Olympics. “