Project Unify to participate in Polar Plunge

This Saturday, Feb. 11, Project Unify is preparing for one icy endeavor.

The club, organized by the Special Olympics, will participate in a city-wide Polar Plunge at Lake Cunningham starting at 11 am. The club, which meets twice a month, will now be able to add this freezing venture onto their list of many bonding activities.

“[Project Unify is] designed to bridge the gap between general education students with special needs,” said special education teacher Kari Wilson. “It’s just an opportunity for them to socialize that they normally wouldn’t have.”

With a team comprised of approximately 15 people, this will be the largest group that has ever been participated in the three years that Westside’s Project Unify has been involved. Each plunger must raise $50 in order to be eligible to participate, but donations from students, teachers, and Westside families have also been collected. Even though the event is coordinated by the Special Olympics, 100% of the money raised by Westside contributors will come back to our Project Unify chapter. With metro 39 teams participating and over $86,419 already raised, the event welcomes all family, students, and teachers willing to contribute to the cause.

However, Wilson says that the team’s main goal does not have a monetary value.

“My goal,” Wilson said, “More so than raising money, would just be to see more people get involved with it. I think it says something about our group and the people involved as we get more and more people together and involved in the activity.”

If you can attend, be sure to make it down to Lake Cunningham this Saturday to support Project Unify!