GATES
COUNTY
Take the
POLAR PLUNGE STORY BY LESLIE BEACHBOARD PHOTOS BY CAL BRYANT, ROANOKE-CHOWAN NEWS-HERALD
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or the last nine years in January, supporters from near and far gather at the Beaver Lake Ski Club to take a frosty plunge in the lake to support the Gates County Special Olympics. Gates County High School teacher and event organizer Barbara Toti says the event came together due to a need for funding for the local Special Olympics. “One of the students at the high school, Steven Hill, was a Special Olympics athlete and he asked me if I would come watch him participate,” said Toti. “I didn’t realize he meant he wanted me to go to the state games to watch him, so I went to the local games.” While Toti was there, she talked to the Gates County Special Olympics coordinator about the need for extra funding for the program. “She explained that the funding was low for
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the Special Olympics program and they could barely meet the budget; I told her I would see what I could do,” she added. First, Toti decided to try and raise funds to take a bus of teachers, students and supporters to watch Hill participate in the state games in Jacksonville.
“THIS REALLY IS A COMMUNITY EFFORT TO RAISE MONEY FOR A GREAT ORGANIZATION.” - BARBARA TOTI
“It worked. We were able to take a bus to Jacksonville for the games. Steven was excited to have us there to support him,” she added. Next, Toti decided to research ways to raise money for the Gates County Special Olympics. She and a few others did some research and decided a polar plunge sounded like a fun idea. “We did some research. We even visited and participated in a polar plunge in the Chowan River to get ideas for the event,” she said. “We discussed having to event with individuals at Beaver Lake Ski Club and they agreed,” Toti added. The first Gates County Polar Plunge for Special Olympics was held in January 2012. “It was a big success. We had a lot of school participation,” said Toti. The polar plunge included a chili challenge. Cooks could bring Crock-pots of chili to be
