Residents of Saline County leapt into the freezing water of Hurricane Lake Sat. Jan. 28 at the annual Polar Plunge. The Plunge is an event open to all organizations within the county that are raising money for Special Olympics Arkansas. The Partner’s Club, as well as other organizations, such as Kohl’s, were in attendance.

The plunge is a costume contest followed by teams jumping into Hurricane Lake in honor of the funds they raised.

“This year [we] dressed up as Thriller [movies including] zombies, scary makeup and ripped clothing,” Partner’s Club president Addie Richards said.

In order to plunge, each member of the club was required to raise a minimum of fifty dollars to donate. Students learned about the plunge and its requirements at a December meeting.

Sophomore Jake Cowell has attended the plunge for the past two years.

“We set up donation websites and ask people to sponsor [our] jumps to [help] raise money,” Cowell said.

Although Cowell did not plunge this year, he has in past years.

“My favorite part is watching [everyone’s] faces as they run out of the water,” Cowell said.

Jumping into the icy January waters of Hurricane Lake every year is a memorable event for students, especially given the good cause it is for.

“The most memorable part [of it] was not being able to move my feet afterwards,” junior Partner’s Club member Macie Morton said.

Overall, the Partner’s Club raised $151 for this year’s Special Olympics Arkansas.

“I loved [watching] all of the [people] jumping,” Morton said. “My favorite part was seeing how excited everyone was to jump into the freezing water.”