30 Greensboro officers join Triad Polar Plunge, raise $3,600 for Special Olympics

An original report says more than 30 Greensboro Police Department personnel took part in the Triad Chill Polar Plunge at Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe and raised approximately $3,600 for Special Olympics North Carolina. The report states, "Over 30 Greensboro Police participants took part in the Triad Chill Polar Plunge, raising approximately $3,600 for Special Olympics NC."

The Greensboro Police Department’s own news post, dated 02/21/2018 at 4:00 PM, named three officers who were scheduled to participate in a Polar Plunge at Wet and Wild Emerald Pointe on February 24. The GPD post said, "Greensboro Police Department has three officers participating in the Triad Polar Plunge this weekend to benefit Special Olympics," and listed the officers as Sherry Bruscino, LaTonya Guy and Sean Patterson. That department notice gave the event window as "from 10 am to 3 pm, February 24" and provided the park address, 3910 S. Holden Rd., Greensboro, while urging community donations: "Now is your opportunity to help support these GPD officers and Special Olympics by donating to encourage them to take the plunge. Below you will find links to each of their fundraising pages. You can donate to help them reach their goal and in turn support a great cause."

Special Olympics North Carolina’s event page for the Triad Chill Polar Plunge lists separate logistics and fundraising mechanics for the 2026 iteration of the event at Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe. The 2026 page shows the event date as Saturday, February 28, and a fundraising snapshot reading, "2026 Triad Chill Polar Plunge has raised $475 out of their goal of $60,000." The page lays out the schedule with registration from 10 to 11:15 a.m., an opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m., and the plunge at 11:45 a.m. The event page explains participant requirements and incentives: "To plunge, you only need to raise $75. That’s it!" and "When you raise $75, you will receive the 2026 Polar Plunge T-shirt!" Team registration is listed as Polar Plunge Team (5 people) $375, with costume and fundraising prize categories also noted on the page.

The different sources present conflicting participant counts and fundraising figures across years. The department announcement from February 2018 documented three named GPD officers preparing to participate on February 24, 2018, while the original report attributed a separate total of "Over 30" Greensboro participants and "approximately $3,600" raised without giving a date. The original report also characterized the activity as community outreach, stating, "The event showcased community involvement by law enforcement."

Local social posts add corroboration that multiple area departments have joined the plunge. A Facebook excerpt for Graham Police Department reported, "Members of the Graham Police Department team took the plunge on Saturday at the Polar Plunge held at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro," without listing dates or dollar amounts.

Whether describing the three officers named in GPD’s 2018 announcement or the larger group cited in the original report, Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe at 3910 S. Holden Rd. has been the Triad venue for Special Olympics fundraising plunges. The multiple figures and dates in department, organizational and social-post materials suggest the Polar Plunge has been an intermittent platform for local law enforcement fundraising; the exact count of participating Greensboro officers and the year tied to the roughly $3,600 total remain to be confirmed by GPD or Special Olympics NC.