Knights of Columbus from around the state gathered in
Virginia Beach last weekend for the annual Polar Plunge to
help raise money for Virginia Special Olympics.
John White, Grand Knight from the Edward Douglass White
Knights of Columbus Council in Arlington, took the plunge
three times in water hovering near 42 degrees with air
temperatures just two degrees warmer.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said White before his first
plunge. “I couldn’t talk for about 10 or 15 seconds.”
White said the second and third dunks were easier.
More than $1 million in pledges was raised for Special
Olympics. Knights throughout the state pledged $21,123, and
White raised $3,333 from the E.D. White Council.
There has been a long partnership between the Knights of
Columbus and Special Olympics. The Knights of Columbus paid
all travel expenses for Special Olympians in the United
States and Canada to attend the 2015 Special Olympics World
Games in Los Angeles.
There’s a personal connection for the E.D. White Council.
Knight Peter Kehoe has a daughter, Laurie Ann, who is a
Special Olympian. White said that the thought of helping her
reach her dreams gave him the impetus to take the plunge.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be a part of this,” he said.
White thought this would be a one-time thing for him, but his
8-year-old daughter, Allison, who went with him to Virginia
Beach, but did not go in, said that she’d like to go in next
year.
