2026 Polar Plunge
Saturday, Feb. 7 | 9 am Registration | 10 am Plunge
Heritage Lake Pool, 804 Heritage Lake Road
The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is inviting community members to help raise money for Special Olympics NC (SONC) by taking part in the Second Annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Heritage Lake Pool, 804 Heritage Lake Road. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the plunge is set for 10 a.m.
Community members are invited to attend this fundraising event as “plungers,” “chickens,” and bystanders to cheer on the brave individuals who plunge into the pool.
Each participant must raise a minimum of $75 to take the plunge with additional prizes and incentives offered to those who raise more.
Anyone who wants to support the cause but is “too chicken” to plunge can register as “too chicken” for $20 and stay warm in a heated area aptly named the “chicken coop.”
All proceeds will be donated to SONC. Individuals may register online or make a donation to an existing registrant or team on this website leading up to the event. Those who preregister online must still check in at the registration table on the day of the event to sign a printed waiver.
In addition to the plunge, the event will include an awards ceremony, prizes for best costumes, raffles for the registered plungers, and more.
For more information, contact Sgt. J. McArthur at 919-554-6150.
Donations Accepted Year-Round
As a long-time supporter of Special Olympics and Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC), the Wake Forest Police Department accepts donations year-round in support of these worthy causes.
Thanks to the generous contributions of the Wake Forest community, we have raised well over $25,000 for Special Olympics and SONC.
Special Olympics NC
Special Olympics North Carolina is one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world with nearly 40,000 registered athletes who train and compete in year-round programs in 20 different sports.
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
Law Enforcement Torch Run
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics began in 1981 in Kansas where Wichita Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds and increase awareness for Special Olympics.
The idea behind the Torch Run was to provide law enforcement officers with an opportunity to volunteer with Special Olympics in the communities where the officers lived and worked. After three years of successful runs in Kansas, Chief LaMunyon presented his idea to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which endorsed Special Olympics International as its official charity through the Torch Run.
In North Carolina, the first Torch Run was organized in 1987 when relays were run from Raleigh and Charlotte to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Fetzer Field, site of the 1987 SONC Summer Games.