Community Corner
Dunleavy's Polar Bear Plunge Attracts Huge Crowd
Group hopes to raise $50,000 for Special Olympics.
Thousands turned out Tuesday to ring in the New Year with a frigid plunge into the Ocean on Sullivan's Island.
The annual Dunleavy's Polar Bear Plunge raises funds for the Special Olympics, and organizers hope they took in more than $50,000 this year, topping last year's $47,000 record.
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The event is in its 19th year. This year, the Dunleavy family, which owns the island pub by the same name, ceremonially adopted long-time Plunge participant Trista Kutcher.
The first plunge was held as a fundraiser to send Kutcher and other Special Olympic athletes to Ireland to represent the U.S. in various sports.
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Kutcher often took the plunge with her father, Joe, but he died in July 2012 from cancer. Trista said she was raising funds and participating in the plunge this year by herself as a tribute to her father.
The Dunleavys outfitted Kutcher in a white and green tuxedo, a tradition normally reserved for members of the family.
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