Students take the (frosty) plunge for a good cause

Every year as Vermont temperatures drop below freezing and Lake Champlain becomes a sheet of ice, hundreds of people are inspired to break through and splash around in the frigid waters.

Among those dressed in bikinis and team costumes were a lot of Norwich University students, some dressed in army combat uniforms, others in their respective civilian clothing. Regardless of the apparel, they are all there for one reason: to make a difference.

The Penguin Plunge has been held for years now in Lake Champlain and wouldn't be possible without the help of Norwich students who help facilitate the entire event. Andrew Corson, a business management major from Hingham, Mass., and Tyler Wiser, a political science major from Hyattsville, Md., along with 100 students from Norwich participated to support the Special Olympics Vermont in February of this year.

Corson and Wiser are active members of the Center for Civic Engagement at NU and have a distinctive opportunity in helping raise money for the Special Olympics while putting Norwich's name in a good light.

Nicole DiDomencio runs the Center for Civic Engagement, however many events such as the Penguin Plunge have appointed student leaders, such as Corson, who has taken an influential role in this particular event.   

Norwich holds community service events for interested students throughout the state of Vermont. Having the opportunity to "really make a difference in my life and for others is great," Wiser said. Previous involvement in community service inspired both Wiser and Corson to volunteer while at Norwich.

According to Wiser, having a sister involved in the Special Olympics for 16 years "really got me involved with the program and made me want to keep giving back."

Wiser said that he likes being involved with community service because he gets to help people for a cause and really feel good about himself.

After one year as one of many volunteers at the Penguin Plunge, Corson wanted to step up his role and be more active in this event as the head student leader.

"Having more responsibility means that people are looking at you to get the event done right.  To make the Penguin Plunge work smoothly, the event took about 100 people to sign up," Corson explained.

"It is not easy to get people to want to take the time to raise money" Wiser said, but looking back at all the hard work from dedicated people, the effort clearly resulted in the event's huge success.

Volunteers from Norwich were given specific jobs, ranging from escorting "plungers" into the water to handling stage tent security and traffic control.

Each person who wanted to plunge was required to raise $150 dollars, which was the minimum amount required to support the Vermont Special Olympics.

Last year, the event brought in around $400,000 and drew a little over 3,000 hardy souls to dive into the cold lake waters, which is a huge accomplishment, said Corson.

This year, the event topped that figure, raising a record-breaking $460,405 which is put towards events for the over 1,000 Special Olympic athletes of Vermont.

Although Norwich always has an adequate turnout for volunteers, the university is working to get more teams to participate in fundraising for the Plunge.

Corson was impressed with how much effort Band Company put forth to raise money this year.  The plungers of the NU Band raised over $1,000 and took the icy plunge into the lake while the bugle sounded charge.

Those who were bold enough to enter the water were given a free towel and hat as warming mementos for the remainder of the day.

Anthony Nerio, 19, a sophomore communications major from Clifton, N.J., said, "Being able to raise money for a cause is a great attribute and really looks good on a resume."

Nerio, an active volunteer member in this particular event, was responsible for standing at the men's locker room and handing out towels. Nerio would have a megaphone and got to call out, for instance, "1-5 please get ready."

Both the officials behind the Penguin Plunge and the student volunteers communicated and worked together in order to create a flawless event, he said.

 At the end of the event, the volunteers from Norwich were "allowed" to go plunge. Some were terrified of the cold water, but others, like Nerio, dove right into the water in shorts and a T-shirt.

The water in Lake Champlain was about 32 degrees, which is pretty cold. But, said Nerio, "Jumping in for a cause was well worth it."

One surprise in organizing this year was the fact that a lot of freshmen got involved, he said. While the Plunge was obviously new to some freshman, they all wanted to help and had a great time, he said.

Jake Esbjerg, 24, a freshman communications major from Colchester, Vt., didn't need much convincing.

"Being from Vermont and already knowing what the event was, I felt that it was something I should participate in and actually had fun," he said. Esbjerg has been involved in the Plunge for the past three years.

The cold-water challenge, which is also held in other states, has proven to be a good a way to get the school more involved. Esbjerg hopes that with his experiences he can bring in even more people in the coming year.

Check out a video of the Cadets who took the plunge at www.youtube.com/imavolunt33er.