The face of fundraising in the Wheeling area has certainly changed, especially since “Captain Underpants” won the Best Costume contest AND raised more than $1,600 for Special Olympics.
Wait? What?
The vast majority of the local residents who participated in Oglebay’s “Polar Plunge” wore themed outfits and costumes to raise money for the non-profit organization. The event was part of the park’s annual WinterFest weekend, and on Saturday the “Plunge” was at Schenk Lake at 1 p.m., an ice sculpting demonstration was held at 3 p.m. at the Nutting Winter Sports Complex, and a live concert was staged at the Pine Room.
“We started doing the ‘Plunge’ a few years ago, and it’s grown every year,” said Jon Banco, one of Oglebay’s special events coordinators. “And this year, the ‘Plunge’ raised the most money it ever has ($11,300), and the ice sculpting and concert were very well attended.
“It’s a lot of fun to see what costumes the plungers wear, and the weather this year helped, I’m sure,” he said. “We’ve had to break up the ice on the lake before, but the temperatures were in the 50s this year. I doubt they get that lucky very often.”
“Captain Underpants” was portrayed by April Green Thompson, a Mozart resident who has been a “Plunge” participant the past three years. Last year, she dressed as “Boo – the Little Girl Monster,” and the year before she was a polar bear.
“I started doing it because it sounded fun and I like doing things like this,” she said. “And I love the Special Olympics so it’s easy for me to raise the money. I think most people just think it’s funny that I dress up and jump into the lake, so they give me a couple bucks each year.
“I just try to have fun with the costumes, and a lot of the other people came up with some great ideas, too,” she said. “It gets bigger every year and that’s a great thing for Special Olympics.”
Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration is one of the event’s corporate sponsors, and the company supplied warming areas and a large response unit. Vice President Bob Contraguerro, Jr., was in attendance at the event and explained the fundraiser’s uniqueness is the best part.
“When you see so many people smiling, you know you’re involved with something very special, and that’s the case with Oglebay’s ‘Polar Plunge,’” he said. “There’s a lot of different ways to raise funds for great causes, and Special Olympics definitely is a great cause, and when you can have this much fun doing it, it makes it so much better.”
