SLIAC SAAC Raises of $1,500 For Special Olympics

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) participated in the Polar Bear Plunge sponsored by the Special Olympics on Saturday, February 7, in Lake St. Louis, Mo., and raised over $1500 for Special Olympics Missouri as part of their participation.

“This was a great event.  Our student-athletes had a blast.  There was some apprehension at the start of the day, given the cold temperatures, snow that fell overnight and the lake water was frozen, but once we got to the staging area, excitement took over,” SLIAC Commissioner William J. Wolper said.  “Special Olympics required each participant collect at least $75 in donations to participate, but our SAAC members decided to set the bar higher, requiring individuals to raise $100 and most of our plungers raised well over that.”

Eight SLIAC plungers, including six student-athletes, one advisor and the commissioner, were among the 443 plungers that raised $100,409 total according to the Special Olympics Missouri web site.  Those that participated from the SLIAC were Webster University senior Samantha Dittmann (softball, Festus, Mo./St. Pius X), and Westminster College junior Meaghan Barron (soccer, St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy), senior Andrew Darkow (tennis, Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge), sophomore Sean Peterson (soccer, Chesterfield, Mo./Lafayette), sophomore Lisa Priaulx (volleyball, St. Peters, Mo./Francis Howell Central), junior Sarah Todd (volleyball, Barnhart, Mo./Windsor) and volleyball coach/SAAC advisor Kristen Ely.  Darkow led the group by raising $525.

For some, participating in the Polar Bear Plunge was about more than the event or fundraising itself.  “To me, the Polar Bear Plunge was more than jumping into frigid water.  To me it was a way to support all of the Special Olympians, it was a way to show my cousin, a Special Olympian, how much she means to me, above all it brought me so much joy to know that what I have done will benefit fellow athletes,”  Westminster’s Barron said.

“The donations our student-athletes collected for the Plunge are only a portion of what we hope to contribute to the Special Olympics this year,” Wolper continued.  “Our campus SAAC groups are volunteering with the Special Olympics throughout the year and holding a variety of fund raising activities as part of their efforts so we hope the local chapters in our communities will recognize several benefits from our student-athletes’ efforts.

“On behalf of the Conference, our Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and especially those that participated in the Polar Bear Plunge, we want to thank everyone that supported our participation in the Plunge either through a financial donation to the Special Olympics or attending and cheering us on.”

The student-athletes participated in the Polar Bear Plunge as part of the Conference’s second SAAC meeting of the year.  The key business conducted at the meeting was student-athletes approving operating procedures for their Committee that will be presented to the SLIAC’s Administrative Council, election of the first set of Conference SAAC officers and discussion of the NCAA Division III Identity Initiative.

Peterson and Webster University junior tennis player Alexandra Meyer were elected President and Vice President, respectively.  Peterson and Meyer will assist Wolper and Ely in the planning and conduct of the Conference SAAC meetings, represent the SAAC to the Administrative Council and keep Conference SAAC representatives apprised of and involved with issues from the National and Conference levels.

“Alex and Sean are both heavily involved with the SAAC on their campuses and come highly recommended by their SAAC Advisors.  Their campus involvement, along with the leadership they have shown with their campus group as well as at the Conference level, will be a tremendous asset we enter the next phase of growth at Conference level.  Kristen and I look forward to working with Alex and Sean as we move forward in the development and level of involvement we feel appropriate for the SLIAC SAAC,” Wolper said.

For additional photos and information the SLIAC's involvement with the Polar Bear Plunge, click here.