Submitted by Great Oaks.
Students in the Great Oaks – Batavia High School Business Management program have set an impressive goal to help local Special Olympic athletes. Their Business Professionals of America chapter will be participating in the 2021 Polar Plunge. They hope 2021 will be the year they reach the $100,000 mark for total donations to Special Olympics.
“The Batavia High School BPA has become an integral part of our annual Polar Plunge festivities. We always look forward to having the students participate. We know we can count on their volunteers to help the event run smoothly, and they bring incredible energy once the plunging begins. Their commitment to Special Olympics through the Plunge is remarkable, and I can’t imagine the event without them. Through their participation, they’ve raised almost $100,000 for Special Olympics over the past several years – that’s about 4,000 seasons of sports for Special Olympics athletes! We sincerely appreciate their commitment to Special Olympics, and can’t wait to see them again this year,” said Taylor Ballinger, Development Direct for Special Olympics Kentucky.
The team is mostly students; but Batavia Local Schools superintendent and teachers are joining them. A few community leaders have also pledged to take the plunge with the students, including David Gooch, Heather Frye from the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Gregory Sojka from UC Clermont.
The plunge will take place at Buckhead Mountain Grille in Bellevue, KY on Saturday, February 20th. It will look different this year with COVID safety protocols in place. A few of the changes include staggered staging areas and smaller crowd sizes.
The team’s business teacher and BPA advisor Angie Kovacs said, “at a time when the accountability of our younger generation is sometimes questioned, I am proud that this group is giving so much back to their community.”
To help them reach their goal, visit the team fundraising page at http://events.soky.org/goto/bataviabpa2021.
Business Professionals of America is the leading student organization for members pursuing careers in business, information technology and other related careers. BPA members are enrolled in the Great Oaks Business Management satellite program at Batavia High School.