Students raise funds for Polar Plunge

CENTERVILLE

Adrianna Long's feet turned purple last February when she ran into the ocean through snowy, 28-degree weather.

But that frozen memory isn't stopping the 11-year-old from once again participating in the Polar Plunge, an icy but effective fund-raiser for Special Olympics Virginia.

"I like doing it because it raises money for the Special Olympics people, so they can try to have a normal life," said Adrianna, a sixth-grader at Atlantic Shores Christian School.

This year Adrianna plans to plunge in special, insulated water boots and is hoping the weather will be warmer.

"My friend said it's usually 65 degrees," she said.

This is the third year fifth-graders from Atlantic Shores are taking on the Special Olympics as their class service project.

With a variety of fund-raisers, they're again raising the $100 per person needed to send representatives to the Polar Plunge, a leap into the frozen ocean scheduled this for Feb. 4-5.

Last year's fifth-grade class raised about $1,000 to send two students and several faculty members to the event; this year they have raised $200 and hope to reach $500.

One of last year's plungers was teacher Chesnee Bresnahan. She picked the Special Olympics for the fifth-grade's project after getting to know the former principal's son, who had Down Syndrome.

She admitted she only went waist-deep in the water at last year's plunge.

"When I got out, my legs were numb," she said. "I couldn't even run out."

The fifth-graders heard this week from athlete Daniel Certa, an Indian River High School sophomore with a learning disability.

Certa has participated in the Special Olympics for five years, averages a score of 150 in bowling and will be one of nine athletes to represent Virginia in this summer's World Games in Athens, Greece.

Fielding questions from students about his age (19) and how many medals he's won (he was wearing five), Certa left with a message good for athletes in the Special Olympics, or anywhere else.

"Stick to it, have fun and reach for your goal," he said.

Elisabeth Hulette, (757) 222-5216 elisabeth.hulette@pilotonline.com