Plungers take the chills and spill into lake

Angie Jackson and Tom Egan are planning to marry May 24, but Saturday they took a plunge of a different sort.

Jackson, sporting a white veil and wedding dress, and Egan, wearing a tuxedo, ran into frigid Lake Michigan to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois during the 2008 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge off Sunrise Beach in Lake Bluff.

"It's the first time that we've done the plunge," Jackson said, adding that the weather should be much better when the couple take the plunge into marriage in two months.

Part of a team representing TAP Pharmaceutical, the two were among more than 300 resilient souls participating in the event, which was expected to raise about $100,000, said organizer Dave Thomas, an officer with the Lake Bluff Police Department. He added that TAP Pharmaceuticals in Lake Forest donated $5,000.

"The weather is pretty good. The water temperature is 34 degrees, which isn't too bad," he said. "We have a great turnout with police officers from Vernon Hills, Buffalo Grove, Lake Forest and Mundelein, as well as Lake Bluff. Also participating are members of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority and the football team of Northern Illinois University."

Lake Bluff, one of 16 locations throughout the state holding the plunge, has hosted the fundraiser for nine years. Polar Plungers are required to collect a minimum of $75 in donations, and some collected considerably more.

Thirteen-year-old Meggan Hagemann, wearing a bathrobe over her bathing suit, collected more than $4,500 as part of a group representing the Kane County state's attorney's office.

"This is my fourth year taking the plunge, and the worst part of it is how the cold affects your feet," she said.

The money raised is used to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition for Special Olympics athletes.

Wave after wave of superheroes, hula dancers, cheerleaders, prom queens and pirates ran into the chilly waters. Many went as far as 25 feet out to collect plastic ducks and then rushed to change into dry clothes.

Jim Creighton, an officer with the South Elgin Police Department, came as Shrek, complete with a green face.

"At work, I'm known as Shrek, so this was the ideal costume. I do this each year for the kids," he said.

The event inspires commitment, with participants returning year after year, Thomas said.