No Plunge Means Big Dive For Charities
EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The Evergreen Lake Plunge has officially been canceled this year and it's going to have a huge impact on charities that rely on funds raised by the event.
CBS4 photojournalist Bill Masure piloted Drone4 over the lake on Sunday to survey the lake and it seems too dangerous.
Warm weather hasn't canceled the Evergreen Lake Plunge just once, but twice.
It was canceled on New Year's Day because warm weather kept people off the ice at Evergreen Lake. Now, it's been canceled a second time because of warm weather.
The annual event had been rescheduled for Sunday at noon at Evergreen Lake. CBS4 anchor Alan Gionet is a perennial host. But it was still too warm for the event to happen on Sunday and the event won't happen this year.
Hundreds of brave souls have been known to take the plunge as an annual rite. This year organizers were frustrated that the lake did not sufficiently ice over to hold the event on New Year's Day, but had to call it off for safety reasons. Now they have called it off again.
The Lake Plunge is not only hilarious, it's a fundraiser for Drive Smart and the Evergreen Parks and Recreation District's Special Needs Program.
"We like to do lots of adventures and go therapeutic horseback riding, skiing, and those are expensive activities," said Maren Schreiber, a coordinator for the Special Needs Program.
She says the event provides $10,000 to split between the charities.
Schreiber fears the loss of donations could mean the loss of scholarships as well as opportunities to support the local disabled community. The hope is people will continue the winter tradition by taking a slightly different plunge.
"If they could plunge into their pockets instead of the lake, that would be amazing," she said.
Drive Smart said those who registered for the plunge an contact the organization for a refund or consider making the registration fee a donation.
