Special Olympics Illinois enables athletes, community to shine bright

Last weekend, cities across Illinois hosted Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunges, where participants mustered up the courage to jump, dunk or dip into freezing cold waters — all for a worthy cause.

Plungers have been warming up for the big day by fundraising for Special Olympics Illinois, an organization that provides a community of over 55,000 athletes, Young Athletes, Unified partners, coaches and volunteers with life-changing programming.

If you missed the festivities, fear not! There are many more opportunities to plunge across the state and in Chicagoland through March. Visit plungeillinois.com to participate in an existing event or create your own plunge.

Fox Lake was one of many regions to take the plunge last weekend, raising over $40,000 for Special Olympics Illinois. Though plungers usually jump into Nippersink Lake, 140 plungers took an icy dip into a 15,000-gallon Portatank this year, due to construction at Lakefront Park. The event was complete with encouragement from family and friends, a costume contest and a post-plunge warm-up at Black Lung Brewing Company.

Special Olympics Illinois athlete Jackson Findley plunged for the second time at the Fox Lake Plunge this year. Although his mother, Jessica Findley, did not plunge, she has jumped into supporting Special Olympics Illinois and the special needs community in other ways.

Findley has been involved with Special Olympics Illinois since 2009. She started as a coach, registered, trained and coordinated athlete involvement as a Special Olympics Athletic Director (SOAD) and has cheered on her son for the last eight years.

As a coach and parent, her favorite part about being involved in Special Olympics Illinois is cheering on the athletes. “It is pure joy watching the pride and hard work each and every athlete puts into their training and competition,” she says. One of her fondest memories associated with Special Olympics Illinois is taking Jackson to the Summer Games for the first time. “As a coach, I had been to plenty of competitions both locally and at the state level. Going down as a parent and watching my son compete gave me a whole new perspective,” she says.

And Findley has gone on to do even more for those with intellectual disabilities. In June of 2022, she and co-founder Jenny Simpson saw the need for recreational programming for the special needs community and created Shining Abilities, a 501(c)3 organization that enriches the lives of those with developmental disabilities through a variety of programs, including sports, social events, dances, family events and a vocational based adult day program. “It is Shining Abilities’ mission to empower our special needs community by providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where they can explore their abilities,” Findley says.

One of Findley’s goals is “to bring the community together, and for everyone to realize their own unique abilities and to share them with one another,” she says. Special Olympics Illinois programs and events like the Polar Plunge help “get the word out about what Special Olympics is, what they do and help create a more inclusive community,” says Findley.

“Events like the Polar Plunge are so important for Special Olympics Illinois to be able to continue to provide the events and programs they do which means so much to our athletes and their families,” she says.

Special Olympics is instilled into the community, impacting the lives of many; the organization “means so much to so many people and for so many reasons,” says Findley. “For me personally, and for Shining Abilities, it means opportunity. Opportunity for our athletes to work hard, develop teamwork and to just have fun.”

To learn more about and support Special Olympics Illinois — maybe even by taking the plunge! — visit soill.org.