What is the Polar Plunge? The Polar Plunge is Special Olympics Pennsylvania s largest fundraising event.

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1 Lehigh Valley Plunge Fundraising Packet FEBRUARY 16, 2019

2 What is the Polar Plunge? The Polar Plunge is Special Olympics Pennsylvania s largest fundraising event. It will be held February 16th at Scott Park in Easton, PA and raises funds that fuel year-round sports programs for more than 20,000 Special Olympics athletes throughout the state. Special Olympics is the world s largest movement dedicated to promoting respect, acceptance, inclusion and human dignity for people with intellectual disabilities. This isn t just a plunge, it s a jump for joy! Proceeds from the Polar Plunge benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. So in February while braving what might be the coldest moment of your life, you will be supporting the biggest moment of theirs. The crowd will be huge, the cause great, and the water freezing. But we don t do it because it s easy... we do it to make a difference. Why Fundraise? Every dollar you raise supports the Athletes of Special Olympics Pennsylvania! When you participate in the Cool Schools Polar Plunge, you are helping students with and without intellectual disabilities change the world.

3 GETTING STARTED Register yourself as a Plunger by going to PlungePA.org. Then select REGISTER. Select Cool Schools as your registration type. From here, either Create a team if you starting a team, or Join a team and search for your team if it has already been created. If you have any difficulties with forming a team, contact Special Olympics Pennsylvania at: dthorne@specialolympicspa.org Once your school team is formed, start to recruit teammates from your school! Invite your friends, family, and teachers to join you for a fun day in support of Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes. Ask your teammates to register individually by going online to PlungePA.org Click Join a team and search for the team name. Communicate with your team regularly to make sure they re motivated. Hang posters around school to recruit new teammates to join you. Think of fun costumes, or cool spiritwear that your team can wear on Plunge day. Provide team members with copies of fundraising ideas (provided in this toolkit). Make sure that each team member stays on track to raise their fundraising minimum of $35 per individual by Plunge day.

4 create a COOL SCHOOLS team REGISTER Show your courage and register for the 2019 Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania! Visit PLUNGEPA.ORG find the Lehigh Valley Plunge and click REGISTER This will take you to the Lehigh Valley Plunge page where you will click Register. From the registration page, choose Register again. If your team captain has created a team, click Join a team and type in the team name to join your school team. After you pre-register online, create a fundraising page and add a photo and personal message. Collecting donations online by sharing your fundraising page link is the easiest way to get your friends and family to donate to your Plunge -plus- don t forget to use and social media to communicate why you re taking the Plunge! The fee to take the Plunge is a minimum donation of $35. IMPORTANT: Each person on a team will need to individually pre-register for the Plunge. All teammates who pre-register will receive their official Polar Plunge t-shirt. Individuals can also register on event day as a Day of plunger, however, your shirt will not be guaranteed. 2STEP FUNDRAISE WITH YOUR TEAM Challenge your friends and classmates to show their courage and be freezin for a reason with you! Compete against other schools or challenge other grades within your school! Ask family, friends and neighbors to sponsor you - direct them to visit your online fundraising page. Sharing your fundraising link online is the easiest and quickest way to gather donations. Every dollar you raise supports the Athletes of Special Olympics Pennsylvania! When you participate in the Cool Schools Polar Plunge, you are helping students with and without intellectual disabilities change the world. How? The money you raise is used to support Special Olympics Unified Sports programs in high schools in your county and throughout the state. Interscholastic Unified Sports teams have Special Olympics athletes and their fellow classmates without disabilities training and competing together as equal teammates. They proudly represent their high school and unite the rest of the school community to promote acceptance, inclusion, and respect. Be a part of the Unified Generation IMPORTANT: You can also collect pledges offline by using the Pledge Sheet to keep track of your donations. Any cash and checks must be turned in when you check in prior to the event. 1STEP 3STEP TELL THE WORLD! Jumping into the freezing cold water earns you some bragging rights! Post on facebook, your family, or shout it from the football field! Whatever you choose, there is no doubt they will support you! #LEHIGHPLUNGE

5 COOL IDEAS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE POLAR PLUNGE HOW CAN YOU FUNDRAISE TO SUPPORT YOUR COOL SCHOOLS PLUNGE TEAM? Be sure to gain approval, if necessary, from your school administration prior to any fundraising event. Administrator IDEAS SNACK BAR: Purchase snacks in bulk to sell in the teacher s lounge or at a sporting event. Healthy snacks can be very popular -OR- make it fun and sell ice cream to get people in the polar-inspired spirit 50/50: Hold a 50/50 at a large event where the winning ticket holder receives half of the funds raised. TRIVIA NIGHT: Find a location to host your team and guests. See if a local restaurant will host a trivia night with your group. Guests split into several small teams to answer trivia asked by a host and the winners are the team which, at the end of the night, has correctly answered the most questions. Funds are raised through tickets, food sales, etc. RESTAURANT TO THE RESCUE: Ask a local restaurant or café to contribute a portion of the proceeds for a day. It could even be a special menu item. Create a sign letting patrons know that the owner will donate a portion of the money if purchased. UTILIZE WEBSITES: Ask for support by posting your team s page on your school website or intranet. LOCAL BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP: Is there a business or restaurant in the area that you frequent? Ask for a donation to support your team members who are taking the plunge.

6 COOL IDEAS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE POLAR PLUNGE HOW CAN YOU FUNDRAISE TO SUPPORT YOUR COOL SCHOOLS PLUNGE TEAM? Be sure to gain approval, if necessary, from your school administration prior to any fundraising event. student IDEAS DRESS DOWN DAYS: Organize a dress down day where students and teachers pay a nominal fee to wear casual clothing for the day. Or better yet, make it a Spirit Day where everyone has to wear a funny hat or wear a certain color. BAKE SALE: Hold a Friday bake sale at school so students will have treats for the weekend. Make sure to wrap items for individual sale. PENNY WARS: Set up a challenge for your class to collect the most points (pennies). All money in the jars is donated for the Plunge. RAFFLE: Sell tickets to win a coveted item (ie, a front row parking space, a donated lunch, homecoming ticket the options are endless). FREEZIN FOR A REASON DONATION CARDS: Sell donation cards at events to make your path to the plunge. All donation cards can be hung around your school lobby or entrance to show your team s progress.

7 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HAVE A LARGE IMPACT ON YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS! Check out these tips on how to use social media before, during and after the Plunge! CONNECT WITH US! #LEHIGHPLUNGE Make posts about everything related to Cool Schools at the Polar Plunge! Let everyone know how you are Freezin For a Reason! and supporting our Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes! Add photos and videos to make you stand out. Who knows, maybe the Polar Plunge will share your stories! Use #LEHIGHPLUNGE when you are using social media... don t forget to add photos and videos to make your Plunge stand out! HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL FUN MESSAGES TO INCLUDE: I m freezin for a reason for the 2019 #LehighPlunge to support Special Olympics Pennsylvania! Help me raise awareness for Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes - join me and be #FreezinForAReason at the 2019 #LehighPlunge Smith for helping me reach my goal for the 2019 Lehigh Polar Plunge! Today I challenged myself to raise $50 for #LehighPlunge and the athletes of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Help me reach my goal and donate to my Plunge page - thank you!