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Hilbert's S.A.A.C. Jumps In To Support Special Olympics

Release Date:
December 5, 2011
Contact:
The Office of Sports Information
(716) 649-7900 ext. 333

HAMBURG, NY – Woodlawn Beach State Park hosted the 2011 Buffalo Polar Plunge supported by the Hilbert College Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) December 3.  Participants who raised at least $100 were able to take a dip into the chilly waters of Lake Erie and Hilbert’s S.A.A.C. supplied eleven willing athletes and advisors for the mid-day bath. All proceeds from the Polar Plunge will benefit the Special Olympics.

Hilbert’s S.A.A.C. raised around $600 through pre-plunge donations and the group is already talking about next year’s goal.

Renee Snyder of the Special Olympics said, “We raise nearly a million dollars in polar pledges each year which allows our athletes to train and compete year round, at no cost to them or their families. So right here today we’re expecting to raise about $150,000 through donations with nearly 1,000 people jumping in the lake.” 

The NCAA Division III S.A.A.C. announced a partnership with Special Olympics at last year’s NCAA Convention in January. Each of the ten Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference member institution S.A.A.C.s are encouraged to support the Special Olympics through a variety of activities whether they participate in fundraising events, host special events to honor the Special Olympians or become coaches within the organization.

Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs, one a master’s in criminal justice administration and the other a master’s in public administration, and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.