Dipping into frigid water on a freezing cold winter day isn’t just for polar bears. Each winter, thousands of people around the country join forces to take a “Polar Bear Plunge.”

A Polar Bear Plunge (or “Swim”) is the name for a winter dip into an icy cold body of water. Often these Plunges are organized annually to benefit a charitable or non-profit organization. In Canada, they are often held to celebrate the start of the New Year and swimmers participate on January 1. And sometimes, for those who really like to freeze their you-know-whats off, they are a weekly event, such as the weekly Sunday swim that members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club take.

Many of the Polar Bear Plunges are organized to benefit the Special Olympics. Here are a few locations with upcoming Plunges that are raising money for this great organization:

Rochester, NY
Delaware
Maryland
Minnesota
New Jersey

We would love to hear about your experiences with a Polar Bear Plunge!