SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD)
For nearly 30 years, a brave group of people has gathered on Sullivan’s Island to ring in the new year with a dip in the ocean.
Hundreds of people participated in the 2023 polar plunge, but the event wasn’t always as popular.
It started out with seven people, according to Bill Dunleavy, owner of Dunleavy’s Pub and host of the annual polar plunge.
“We got up and decided to go swimming,” he said.
Nine years later, Dunleavy decided to use the fun tradition as a way to raise money for the Special Olympics.
Plungers raised $13,000 to get athlete Trista Kutcher to Dublin, Ireland for the games.
From that point on, the partnership was unbreakable.
“It’s great. It’s great for the Special Olympians, they all come and they have fun with their [donation] buckets going around. Everybody enjoys the day. Everybody is smiling,” Dunleavy said.
This year, plungers raised nearly $40,000, adding to the nearly half-a-million raised total.
Dunleavy said that his goal is to raise $1 million for the Special Olympics, so he plans to keep the plunge going for years to come.
~Brendan Clark, Charleston County News
