For the fourth consecutive year, Daemen University participated in the 18th Annual Buffalo Polar Plunge, the largest fundraising event for Special Olympics New York, held at Woodlawn Beach State Park on Saturday, December 7.
The Wildcats team, consisting of over 20 members of the Daemen community and led by team captain Colleen Wilkinson, an assistant professor in the education department, raised over $11,000, once again establishing Daemen as the top college fundraiser in Western New York.
Daemen student Ava Johnston led fundraising efforts for the Wildcats team, raising over $7,800, making her the second-highest individual fundraiser of the entire event. Johnston received an academic scholarship in recognition of her fundraising efforts.
Every $500 raised sponsors a local Special Olympics Athlete for a year.
Wilkinson felt a calling to create a Polar Plunge team when she joined Daemen in 2020. “I initially started our team with just education majors,” she said. “My goal was to teach students to look at other children holistically, with a strength-based approach to provide them with a new perspective about people with disabilities and to recognize the potential in everyone.”
Wilkinson is amazed at how much the university has embraced this initiative from the very beginning. “I am really proud of the students’ willingness to jump in to support this effort, as well as their passion for inclusivity, which is an important part of the Daemen mission,” she said. “This has reaffirmed that I made the right decision in coming to Daemen.”
Special Olympics provides inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities who compete in Olympic-style, coached sports.