Kappa Delta Pi, the international education honor society on campus, will be leaping into a freezing-cold pond this weekend for the Jackalope Jump.
The Jump, hosted by Special Olympics Wyoming, will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Huck Finn Pond in LaPrele Park, located at 23rd and Spring Creek. The Jump is put on to raise money for Special Olympics Wyoming and everyone is welcome to participate in the event.
The Jackalope Jump is a statewide event that helps raise money to fund the activities of Special Olympics Wyoming. Towns across Wyoming host this jump into icy cold water to support this cause, and participants cannot get enough of it.
Many teams chose to liven up the Jump even more by plunging in costumes. In the past, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Minions from “Despicable Me” and swimmers donning bunny ears have taken the plunge into LaPrele.
“Last year, it was definitely warmer,” Jessica Chandler, vice president of Kappa Delta Pi, said. “We painted our stomachs and jumped in. We all swam together with our bunny ears towards the policeman in the center. He liked to move back farther for a challenge, but still laughed and made it a fun time. It was quick and fun, and well worth it.”
This is the ninth year that Laramie has hosted this event and it has grown steadily each year, bringing in more participants and raising more money for the charity. Jumpers can do so individually or as a team, though each participant is asked to fundraise before making the jump. Laramie’s Jackalope Jump raised over $11,000 last year.
“[The KDP team] is student initiated and student led,” Dr. Edward Janak, associate professor in Educational Studies, said. “KDP got into it a few years ago on the request of one of our student members. As we are an education honor society with an expansive community service goal, we thought it would be a good fit to work with Special Olympics. Since then, it has ‘become a thing’ with us — something many members look forward to doing each spring and always on our ‘to-do’ list.”
Special Olympics Wyoming’s mission is to provide a year-round organization devoted to sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
For more information, go to www.specialolympicswy.org/jackalopejump.
