LIFE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 2011
5
Penguins plunge into Champlain deep Special Olympics hosts fundraising event, surpasses previous goal By Margaret Gerowe Contributor The winter air did not discourage the hundreds of Vermont residents that leapt into the icy water of Lake Champlain for the Penguin Plunge on Feb. 4. Special Olympics Vermont’s annual fundraiser raises money to support the 1,005 athletes that they serve in the state, according to its website www.vtso.org. Teams consisted of groups from local businesses in town, high schools, middle schools, surrounding universities and other groups such as the Burlington Fire Department. At 11 a.m., the announcers began calling out different waves of plungers. Teams and individuals proceeded to charge out of the tent, down the path, past the cheering spectators and into the freezing water. When participants came shivering out of the water, each received a complementary penguin plunge towel and rushed into the tent to change into warm clothes. “It was really cold,” senior Daragh Kneeshaw said. Kneeshaw was part of a team from Ake’s Place, and together the 15 plungers raised close to $4,000. The team stated that even though jumping into the water is the worst feeling in the world, it is for a good cause and everyone should do it. “You have got to do it — it’s
MACKENZIE JONES The Vermont Cynic
Burlington residents splash into Lake Champlain as part of the Penguin Plunge to raise money in support of the Special Olympics, Feb. 4. a great experience,” senior Yuri Hudak said. Hudak’s team, Team Shrivel, all expressed their opinions on how the Penguin Plunge is a great event that brings the community together for a greater purpose, even though the water is cold. With 74 teammates, Lake Champlain Elementary School was the largest school team and the winner of the Cool School Challenge – Grade School Division said Kim Bookless, fundraising events manager for the Special Olympics.
Beekeeper links coffee and honey Plan helps fight ‘thin months’ By Ann Cromley Assistant Life Editor Bees, Trees and Coffee Beans was a seminar organized at the Main Street Landing Film House on Feb. 5. The seminar was sponsored by the local tree enthusiast club Branch Out Burlington, and featured an appearance by Vt. beekeeper Bill Mares, who offered his ideas on utilizing both coffee farming and beekeeping to fight hunger. Mares’ interest in honey bees and coffee beans began about six or seven years ago, when he began traveling to Central America with a friend who worked for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. “[The friend] would introduce me to some of these coffee farmers,” he said. “Because I had been a beekeeper, I got very interested in the bridge between coffee farming and beekeeping.” While in Central America he learned a thing or two about the Latin American culture and way of life, Mares said. Coffee farming is often the only source of income for many families in Mexico and Central America, he said. These families are paid once for their labor and often find themselves low on money for many months. “There is a term for this in Latin America — mesos flacos — the thin months,” Mares said.
“Those are the months when they run out of the money from their coffee payments.” In response to this reality, the website Food4Farmers.org has partnered with numerous farms and cooperatives in Mexico and Central America. Each cooperative that the organization works with helps about 200 to 300 people balance the production of honey and coffee, he said. By learning how to harness bees as a second source of income, families will suffer less hardship from hunger. The database is full of information and techniques for coffee farmers that can help these families create an extra source of income, Mares, a staff member at the site, said. Some keepers simply sell on the streets and some are well into the business side of sales, he said. The highest market is for organic honey exports to the European Union. Mexico exports half of its honey to Germany, Mares said. The growing database will continue to help farmers in Central America and Mexico tend to bees and coffee trees, and provide twice as much income for the families, he said. To learn more about the initiative, visit Food4Farmers.org.
Bookless said that the winner of the Cool School Challenge – University Division, the largest group to plunge from a university, was Saint Michael’s College. The winner of the Pack of Plungers award for the largest non-school team went to the Burlington Rugby Club, she said. The Vermont Special Olympics’ goal for the 2012 Penguin Plunge Series is $425,000, which they have already surpassed with the donations from the Burlington and North Bennington events.
The Burlington plunge alone has raised $403,823 so far, beating their goal of $400,000 Bookless said. With one plunge left to go at Lake Memphremagog in Newtown, Bookless said they believe the total donations for the 2012 Penguin Plunge series will top $430,000. This event is the biggest fundraiser for the Special Olympics, and helps to provide money for uniforms, training facilities, competitions and transportation, according to the website.
Volunteering at the event is another way to participate besides taking an icy dip, according to the website. Volunteers at the Penguin Plunge participate in site setup, pre-plunge party assistance, souvenir sales and registration. Tim Brahmstedt, a Burlington resident, volunteered for the first time this year at the Penguin Plunge. When asked if he could sum up the event in one word, he simply said, “epic.”