Swimmers brave chilly waters for good cause
While the 40-degree temperatures belied any mention of the word “polar” it still was plenty frigid enough for about 20 hearty souls who braved the chilly waters of Elks Lake Saturday.
The inaugural Iola Elks Polar Plunge brought forth scores of supporters of the Elks club’s effort to raise money for gift baskets for area needy families, and nearly as many curious onlookers.
“I’m just not quite sure who was crazy enough to suggest something like this,” said Christina Ramirez, exalted ruler of the local Elks lodge.
For the record, she was.
The lake’s shelter house was enclosed with tarps and filled with heaters to help the plungers stay warm immediately before and after their “swim.”
Plungers had two requirements: first, they had to raise $100 to donate to the gift basket effort; then they had to enter until the water reached their necks.
Members of the Iola Ambulance Department were on standby to ensure nobody suffered any ill effects from the plunge. Nobody did.
The plungers deployed varying strategies. Some slowly walked in to avoid splashing; other raced in at full speed.
Special recognition was given to Iolan Sam Shallah, who raised $500 for the toys and gift baskets, the largest individual fundraiser; the other to Iolan Ashley Widener, who stayed in the water the longest.
“Actually, it felt warmer in the water than it did getting out,” Widener said.
Enough money was raised to deliver gifts to 71 area children and provide food baskets to 41 area families in Allen and Woodson counties, Ramirez said.
