Montreal law enforcement and emergency services hold annual Polar Bear Challenge – Montreal | 24CA News

Hundreds of Montrealers gathered on the fringe of the St. Lawrence river within the Montreal borough of Lachine at Riverfront Park for the yearly Polar Bear Challenge to boost cash for Special Olympic packages.

It was the fifteenth anniversary of the occasion in Montreal organized by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, a gaggle devoted to elevating funds for Special Olympics worldwide.

“About 75 per cent of our funding is coming from activities such as these,” defined Daniel Granger, Special Olympics Quebec board chair.

The different 25 per cent, he added, comes from governments and personal donations.

The Montreal occasion is only one such occasion that takes place every winter in cities throughout the nation.

“There were 160 jumping in Quebec City a week ago,” mentioned Granger, “and more than 200 here in Lachine, so it’s huge.”

Participants included politicians, in addition to regulation enforcement and emergency service personnel from totally different municipalities.

Montreal police chief Faday Dagher, who additionally took the plunge, says along with elevating well-needed money, the intention for occasions like that is to assist erase the stigma round folks with particular wants and to foster inclusion.

“The people with Special Needs are part of the community,” he identified, “and the police don’t serve one part of the community. The police serve all the communities, including these clients.”

Montreal metropolis councillor Sterling Downey, who jumped 3 times Saturday, agreed, stressing that individuals with Special Needs already face so many obstacles.

“The athletes in the Special Olympics, what they do just to compete – all the perseverance, all the determination — this is why we do this,” he mentioned.

With the Montreal and Quebec City occasions mixed, organizers mentioned they raised simply over $150,000.

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