Shakopee Mdewakanton Employees Plunge To Raise Funds for Special Olympics Minnesota
Prior Lake, Minnesota – Jumping into icy cold water in February in Minnesota isn’t something most folks would want to do, but 70 Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community employees raised $19,800 for Special Olympics by doing just that. The Polar Plunge Presented by Law Enforcement for Special Olympics Minnesota was held at Sand Point Beach on Prior Lake, February 16, 2013.
Nine teams from the SMSC tribal government gaming and non-gaming enterprises participated in the Plunge, raising funds to support Special Olympic athletes. The 13 members of the “Arctic Avengers,” employees of the Gaming Enterprise Player Development Department, raised $3,340. The largest group of jumpers was Playworks with 18 participants.
Each year 16 Polar Plunge events are held around Minnesota from January through March to raise funds. This was the 16th year, though only the fourth year in Prior Lake. A total of 653 plungers participated, raising $120,164 for Special Olympics.
The Polar Bear Plunge is a unique opportunity for individuals, organizations, and businesses to support Special Olympics athletes by raising pledges and jumping into frigid Minnesota waters. Each plunger must raise at least $75 in donations in order to jump.
The first polar plunge took place in St. Paul at Como Lake in 1998 with 65 participants raising $20,000. By 2010, the Polar Bear Plunge took place in 13 different locations with more than 7,000 participants who raised $1.4 million. In 2012, more than 12,000 participants raised more than $2.8 million for Special Olympics Minnesota.
The SMSC has supported Special Olympics with charitable contributions for many years though this was the first time the SMSC employees volunteered to participate in the Polar Plunge.
About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Mazopiya, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities. The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its members in education, health, and well-being.
A tribal charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need has given away more than $258.2 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, and schools since 1996. Through the Mdewakanton LIFE Program, the SMSC has donated 776 Automated External Defibrillators to tribes, schools, police and fire departments, and other organizations with 21 lives saved due to their use.
The SMSC has also made more than $523 million in loans mostly to other tribes for economic and infrastructure development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.6 million for shared local road construction and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $14.4 million to local governments for services and another $6.4 million for other projects. Total construction spending by the SMSC since 1990 is more than $758.7 million.