Partner Highlight: Special Olympics Vermont
We take the plunge each each year with our community partner!
Image: CVU students take the plunge into Lake Champlain in 2017.
Though it’s the shortest month of the year, February can be the toughest winter month here in Vermont. That’s one of the reasons the Media Factory production team loves partnering with Special Olympics Vermont to support the most fun event of the season - the Penguin Plunge!
For 29 years, Vermonters have turned out in droves to jump into icy Lake Champlain all to help SOVT raise approximately forty percent of its annual budget. SOVT works year-round to support athletes with intellectual disabilities by fostering inclusion and acceptance through the power of sport.
Image: Marcy films the 2021 Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge
This year is even more special because the Plunge is back live after the last few years when the pandemic and weather forced the event to scale back or be fully remote. The Media Factory was grateful to provide technical, video, and streaming support for the “remote” years but we are so excited to be back at Burlington’s waterfront capturing each wave of plungers as they walk, run, dive, and in some cases dance their way into the lake!
Kelsey Conway, Vice President of Mission Advancement for Special Olympics Vermont said of the partnership: "The creative vision and expertise of the entire Media Factory team allowed us to successfully navigate the Penguin Plunge during COVID. What started as taking videos of plungers entering the water has evolved into a fully produced live show allowing us to tell the story of Special Olympics Vermont, the Penguin Plunge and our incredible athletes across multiple platforms. We look forward to working with the Media Factory on the 2024 Penguin Plunge and beyond!"
If you can’t make it down to the waterfront on Saturday, February 10th to cheer everyone on - be sure to tune into our live stream. You can see each plunge and watch interviews with participants hosted by emcees from 95 TripleX, Star 92.9 and WCAX-TV. And if you want to get pumped for this year's event - watch some past Penguin Plunges!