Hundreds of Montrealers gathered at the edge of the St. Lawrence river in the Montreal borough of Lachine at Riverfront Park for the yearly Polar Bear Challenge to raise money for Special Olympic programs.
It was the 15th anniversary of the event in Montreal organized by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, a group dedicated to raising funds for Special Olympics worldwide.
“About 75 per cent of our funding is coming from activities such as these,” explained Daniel Granger, Special Olympics Quebec board chair.
The other 25 per cent, he added, comes from governments and private donations.
The Montreal event is just one such event that takes place each winter in cities across the country.
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“There were 160 jumping in Quebec City a week ago,” said Granger, “and more than 200 here in Lachine, so it’s huge.”
Participants included politicians, as well as law enforcement and emergency service personnel from different municipalities.
Montreal police chief Faday Dagher, who also took the plunge, says in addition to raising well-needed cash, the aim for events like this is to help erase the stigma around people with special needs and to foster inclusion.
“The people with Special Needs are part of the community,” he pointed out, “and the police don’t serve one part of the community. The police serve all the communities, including these clients.”
Montreal city councillor Sterling Downey, who jumped three times Saturday, agreed, stressing that people with Special Needs already face so many barriers.
“The athletes in the Special Olympics, what they do just to compete – all the perseverance, all the determination — this is why we do this,” he said.
With the Montreal and Quebec City events combined, organizers said they raised just over $150,000.