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The Spirit of Giving: Catching The Wave for Special Olympics Virginia!

02/11/2010 - The act of giving. It starts with a tiny wave, maybe one individual or one small group, but it can soon build momentum and become a very big wave. Just this past weekend our kids led by example, showing us how the act of giving can start small and grow into something much bigger.

As you know, the Polar Plunge Winter Festival has become one of the region's most popular fundraising events, enticing brave souls into the icy winter waters of the Atlantic every February, and all for a good cause—Special Olympics Virginia.

Special Olympics Virginia is a great organization—they provide year-round programming in sports training and athletic competition specifically for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Using sport as a vehicle for social change, Special Olympics Virginia's goal is to open hearts and change minds about persons with intellectual disabilities.

The students, faculty and staff of Atlantic Shores Christian Schools got involved in the 2010 Polar Plunge in a big way this time. Already actively committed to serving the community through their Community Service Project program, the fifth grade had chosen Special Olympics Virginia as one of the charitable organizations to support this academic year.

Their teacher Mrs. Bresnahan gave her class a challenge: if they raised $100 she would jump in the chilly ocean waters to benefit the Polar Plunge. The class came through and raised the $100. So plucky Mrs. Bresnahan agreed to take the plunge.

The idea caught on. The second 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Rabey, decided to raise the challenge. She told the students that if they raised $200, she would also take the plunge. So the class worked hard and they did it—they raised an additional $100.

Now, the momentum was building. (Just like those waves out in the ocean!) The spirit of fun, excitement and the energy invested in raising the money was catching on. The principal, Mrs. Webb, decided to take it up a notch: the goal was raised to $500, and she would take the plunge!

But the wave didn't stop there. Oh, no! Mr. Roger's son, Andrew, told his dad about his fifth grade Polar Plunge challenge. When Mr. Rogers heard this, he agreed to match the $500—dollar for dollar. He offered to take the plunge himself, but only if the fifth graders could reach their mighty goal.

Once again, the fifth graders at Atlantic Shores rose to the challenge.

So, on February 6, 2010, despite frigid temperatures hovering in the 30s, despite the snow, the biting winds and the rough surf, Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Bresnahan, Mrs. Rabey, Mrs. Webb (and 2,636 other shivering souls!) jumped into the icy waters of the Atlantic for Special Olympics Virginia.

As a result, Atlantic Shores Christian School raised a whopping $1000 for the charity! Which just goes to show you, even the tiniest waves out in the middle of the ocean can gather force and momentum.

This really is how the act of giving back to the community can catch on. Each one of us can do our part. No matter how small or insignificant our act may seem at the time, it has the power to catch on, inspire others, and together we can make some mighty big changes to improve lives and make a better world for all of us.

Way to go Atlantic Shores Christian School! You generated a wave of support for Special Olympics Virginia.

You can see more of these crazy photos here.