REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – For 33 years, people from across Delmarva have been rushing into the water at Rehoboth beach, taking the polar plunge.
This year, over 4,000 plungers helped raise $1.5 million for Special Olympics Delaware, an organization that Kaden Cope has been plunging for, for over a decade.
“I just love the Special Olympics,” Cope said. “I love helping them and this is my 12th year doing this. I feel that it helps them out in a lot of ways, so I feel like it’s necessary.”
Taking his first plunge at just 7 years old, Cope bears the cold every year, because he has a deep attachment to the Special Olympics.
“When I was a kid, I helped special needs children all throughout school, and I just love helping them and seeing them happy,” Cope said.
Like Cope, Abigale Sweet dipped her feet in the ocean, to show support for some of her closest friends.
“I have a couple of friends in my school that are special needs, and it warms my heart that they’re getting the help they need,” Sweet said.
And while Andrew Muscarella crossed the polar plunge off his bucket list, he said this isn’t the last time the Atlantic Ocean will be seeing him at the event.
“[I feel] extremely accomplished and it really wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Muscarella said.
“Make it a tradition. This is the 33rd year they’re doing this, so next year is 34th and it’ll go beyond that,” Muscarella added.
