Plunging for a Purpose

Braeden DeGrazia ’26 and the DeSales Special Olympics committee were on a mission.

Raise $10,000 for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge, held on campus outside Billera Hall on March 4, and Special Olympics Pennsylvania would match it.

“We’ve never raised above $2,000,” said DeGrazia, a homeland security major and the Special Olympics event director. “So our goal was to not only hit that $10K number but to smash that number.” 

And smash that number they did. By the end of the day, the committee had raised more than $24,000, including the match. Students, faculty, and staff from across the campus community came out in full force to show their support and jump, flip, and cannonball into freezing water in Bear Force One, Special Olympics’ massive mobile plunge unit.

“We wanted to support DeSales, support Special Olympics, and show that we’re involved in the community,” said Richard Williams, chief of police, who plunged in his full uniform along with other members of the DSU police department. 

Juliana Ciarrocchi ’27, a communications major and chair of the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Eastern Fall Sectional, called the plunge cold but tolerable. This is the second year she has volunteered with Special Olympics, and she does so, in part, to give back to her sister, who has autism. 

“It hits home for me very much, since she is such a great light in our family,” Ciarrocchi said. “In the rough world we live in, there needs to be more inclusion for everyone, including those with disabilities.”

Janae Topor ’27, a speech-language pathology major and director of administration for the Special Olympics committee, was the top fundraiser for the event, singlehandedly raising more than $1,000—thanks to her friends, family, and home parish in Boonton, New Jersey.

“They were more than happy to contribute to such an amazing cause,” Topor said. “I feel so blessed to be at this University and want to use my blessings to support those who have intellectual disabilities.” 

Special Olympics athletes and coaches not only made the leap into Bear Force One, they came decked out with plungers fitted to their heads. All proceeds from the Polar Plunge benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania and the Eastern Fall Sectional, which is held on DeSales’ campus each October.

For DeGrazia, the additional funding for the Eastern Fall Sectional will allow the committee to provide a better overall experience for the athletes. 

“This is their Super Bowl,” he said. “The ability to provide for them and to make this experience the best it possibly can be is so important. It follows everything that we stand for as a University.”