Before the event had even started, the Vermillion Polar Plunge had already raised $15,000 for Special Olympics athletes.
John Cole is the assistant director for the law enforcement torch run for the state of South Dakota and also a police officer for the Vermillion Police Department. Cole helps out with events across the state, but his hometown, Vermillion, is where he ran the Polar Plunge Saturday.
This is Vermillion’s 12th annual Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics athletes across South Dakota. This event helped 100 athletes locally and 2,700 statewide.
Usually the event takes place in February, but due to COVID-19 it was pushed back until April 10.