Students will have the opportunity to jump into a pool of freezing water to raise money for charity.
The fourth annual Muncie Polar Plunge will be Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. All proceeds will go to the Special Olympics of Indiana.
Registration at the event starts at 1 p.m. Afterwards, there will be an After Splash Bash where drinks and entertainment will be provided and awards will be given.
"This is the biggest fundraiser [the Special Olympics of Indiana] has," said Joe Fleenor, intern at the Special Olympics. "It's really good to help those athletes so they can participate in their sports as well."
To be able to plunge, community members must raise or pay a "bare" minimum of $75 and students with an ID must have $50.
The money can either be paid for by the individual or through the fundraising site firstgiving.com. Last year, Muncie raised almost $6,000. Their goal this year is $10,000.
As of Feb. 8, the Muncie site has raised $3,500 through their firstgiving.com account.
A pool will be set up in front of the Student Center at 8 a.m. to get it "nice and cold," Feleenor said. "The colder the better."
Although this winter has been unusually warm, the high temperature for Saturday is 21 degrees as of Feb. 8, according to weather.com.
Participants can choose to plunge in a costume. Fleenor said he has seen everything from ducks to Winnie the Pooh.
The awards given at the After Splash Bash include Best Costume Award, Largest Group, Most Money Raised by an Individual and Most Money Raised by a Team. The winners of each award will receive an edible chocolate plaque with their team name and the name of the Muncie plunge site on it.
The Polar Plunge is also giving incentives to individual plungers to raise money. Specific amounts raised earn different prizes including t-shirts, beach towels and backpacks.
As some "dip tips," Polar Plunge suggests participants bring a towel and a change of clothes. Shoes are required and tennis shoes or water shoes are suggested.
There are 11 plunge sites throughout Indiana. At each site, the local police department is in charge of the event. Director of Public Safety Gene Burton is the head of the Muncie Plunge.
Fleenor said the police chiefs are the ones in charge of the event mainly for safety reasons. There will be paramedics on standby and the police can make sure the sites are safe for the plungers.
Several Ball State fraternities and sororities are participating as teams. Phi Sigma Kappa has chosen the Polar Plunge for their philanthropy event.
"For us to have the awareness and want to participate and help people, especially people that are so close to us," said Kyle McEvoy, vice president of public relations for the Interfraternity Council. "And it's something that couldn't potentially not even be stopped. It's a genetic thing. There should be no reason we shouldn't go out and help those."
People wanting to volunteer for the Polar Plunge can contact Burton at 765-285-1205 by Friday afternoon. Fleenor said they are still looking for 5 to ten more volunteers who will be doing anything from registration to set up to tear down.
For more information on the Polar Plunge and to pre-register visit soindiana.org.
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