Club wants you to jump into cold pool

Polar Bear Plunge will benefit police officers, firefighters.

Jumping into a swimming pool on Groundhog Day in February doesn’t sound like much fun.

But when you have a chance to raise money for police officers and firefighters who serve your community, the Alpharetta Rotary Club decided the Polar Bear Plunge was a good idea.

“We have never done anything like this,” said Casey Robinson, who is the group’s community service director. “It sounds like great fun. The city is fully invested. The big question we ask: ‘Are you in? I’m in.’ ”

The Polar Bear Plunge will take place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Wills Park Pool in Alpharetta.

Robinson said the water temperature will probably be around 50 degrees that day.

The high temperature on Feb. 2 last year was 44 degrees with low at 27 degrees, according to the Weather Channel.

The group hopes to raise $75,000 in this inaugural event to benefit the Alpharetta Public Service Departments.

“Alpharetta is amazing place to live. We wanted to thank them for what they’ve done,” said Robinson, who owns Envision Office Solu- tions.

According to the Alpharetta Rotary website, it “is a group of individuals who have come together with the mission to improve the quality of life for people in our communities and to serve the public interest. We are business owners, entrepreneurs, individuals and community leaders who are committed to Service Above Self.”

Jumping into icy water is not new to metro Atlanta.

However, the 21st annual Polar Bear Plunge into Lake Lanier was been postponed this year because of debris and muddy water, the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club said. The plunge occurs annually on New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve.

“Excessive rain” recently caused the lake level to rise rapidly, and debris that has collected is a “major safety concern,” the club said in a release.

The Rotary Club’s next pres- ident had done one of these cold plunges in Akron, Ohio, and thought it was a good idea, Robinson said.

“We wanted to ruffle some feathers with this event. We want it become staple in the community. It’s a fun and different event,” he said.

A ll donations will be deposited Rotary Club bank account, and the group will write a check to the Public Safety Foundation.

CONTRIBUTED The Alpharetta Rotary Club’s Polar Bear Plunge will be Feb. 2 at the Wills Park Pool to raise money for police officers and firefighters.