Plungers to brave cold for charity

Carroll County Times
1/30/2010

Several Mount Airy Middle School faculty members wore matching blue T-shirts and blinking tiaras to stick out from the crowd Friday.

The 28 staffers wanted everyone who saw them to know they were willing to enter the frigid Chesapeake Bay for the 14th Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis.

The faculty members will at least partially submerge themselves into 36-degree water today on one of the coldest days of the winter. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-20s when plunges take place at 1 and 3 p.m.

They will be joined by hundreds of willing plungers from Carroll County, Gov. Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. This year’s plunge raised more than $2.5 million for Special Olympics Maryland.

The Mount Airy Middle crew raised about $9,000, primarily through a series of fundraisers involving students. Special education teacher Kristy Pfeffer said the fundraisers included a student pie-eating contest.

Students were also able to donate money for the faculty member they most wanted to see completely submerged in the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The faculty member who received the most donations would have to go under water, Pfeffer said. She said they would decide who that would be today once donations were counted.

“We have fun with it,” she said. “The kids bond. The faculty bond. Right now, the school pride that is going on is phenomenal.”

Pfeffer said she is ready for the teeth-chattering conditions. This is the third plunge for Mount Airy Middle volunteers. They have learned how to make the plunge as painless as possible, for example by applying baby powder on their feet to remove chilly sand.

The Freezin’ Flamingos can use all the advice they can get. The team of 12 plungers are first-time participants and hope to raise $5,000, captain Lisa Green said. The Freezin’ Flamingos are a group of nurses, teachers and The Arc of Carroll County employees who are willing to give the plunge a try to help the Special Olympics.

“I see the pride and joy when [Special Olympics athletes] compete and how good it makes them feel about themselves,” said Green, a registered nurse with Dimensional Health Care who works with The Arc clients. “It’s really a worthwhile program.”

Freezin’ Flamingo participant Kelly Dempsey, of Westminster, said they have been told by plunge veterans what to expect: thousands of people, bone-chilling cold water and lots of fun.

First-time plunger Jeanette Holbert, of Westminster, said she is excited about the Ravens players participating, including Flacco and offensive lineman Adam Terry. Holbert, an employee at The Arc, said she is a loyal Ravens fan.

Green said she’ll be wearing a flamingo costume before getting in the water. Many plungers get creative with their attire.

The Houck family of Eldersburg won last year’s family costume contest during the Plungapalooza festival, which includes moon bounces, playgrounds, music and face painting. Plungapalooza 2010 will be held throughout the morning leading up to the first plunge.

This year, Kevin Houck plans to wear a gorilla suit. Kailey, 9, and Kevin, 6, will dress up as bananas. The elder Kevin said he will go in first, emerge from the Chesapeake Bay, grab his kids and dip them in the water. He said it’s an event his children look forward to every year.

“It’s almost like a Christmas for them,” he said. “[The night before], they will not sleep.”

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