Saturday, November 18 started out chilly, but the sun came out to shine on the hundreds of participants in the 2023 Thanks4Giving Dash & Splash in Asbury Park. Registered dashers and splashers helped raise the bar once again, as the total raised in 2023 was a new high record-breaking high at $120,000 for Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ)!
With help from Cool Schools Challenge, 17 Unified Champion Schools, including students and staff, competed as teams to raise funds for SONJ as well as their own school. Any Turkey Dash 5K participant that raised over $35 received 50% over that amount back to their school, and Turkey Splash plungers that raised over $100 also received 50% over that amount back to their school.
TOP FUNDRAISERS
Turkey Dash 5K
Danielle Barbutti
Turkey Splash
Anabelle Miele-Mays
Cool Schools Challenge
Individual – Corey Baker
Team – Voorhees Unified Plungers
The Turkey Dash 5K featured hundreds of runners and started and ended on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, while also visiting Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove.
Congratulations to the top 3 male and female finishers of the Turkey Dash:
1st Place: Alex Dweck & Nora Torppey
2nd Place: Patrick D’Alessandro & Emma Friedrich
3rd Place: D’Angelo Tillar & Daphne Roskowski
After the run, hundreds of plungers proved they were freezin’ for a reason as they dove into the rough and cold Atlantic Ocean.
These fundraising efforts help SONJ provide training and competition opportunities in 24 sports, while offering health, wellness, athlete leadership and Unified program initiatives to thousands of athletes across the state — all completely free of charge!
Next up – we continue into our other Polar Bear Plunges in Wildwood and Seaside Heights!
