Liberty’s Student Council braved the freezing cold water of Lake St. Louis and bonded with their peers through the experience by participating in the Polar Plunge on Feb 6 to raise awareness for the Special Olympics.

The Polar Plunge’s purpose is to raise money for the Special Olympics of Missouri (SOMO). The Special Olympics of Missouri helps bring the joy of sports to people with disabilities and create a community. SOMO is one of the largest sports organizations in the world with 5 million athletes all over the world, 16,900 of these athletes right here in Missouri. 

A group of students from our Student Council took charge of this event and each member helped raise money. Their efforts paid off and Liberty raised the most donations of any of the groups at the event with, $4,393. Senior Emily Brockmann raised the most out of the group, with $510 in donations.

“I posted my donation link and Venmo on my mom’s Facebook along with a message about SOMO to fundraise. I ended up raising a little over $500, thanks to friends and family on Facebook who were feeling extra generous,” Brockmann said. “We polar plunge every year for SOMO but this year, in particular, was special because it took a lot of teamwork to fundraise and was so rewarding when we surpassed our goal even with COVID going on.” 

Students who participated in the Polar Plunge loved the experience and thought it was a great way to bring awareness and raise money for SOMO. 

“The experience is great. It is obviously freezing but it is so fun and you get to bond with your peers,” senior Abby Heinemann said.

The Polar Plunge was an excellent way for Liberty to give back to the community and have fun while doing it.