ar
nual Pol
25th An
Bear Plunge
Weehawken members take a run at the Plunge
Special Olympics hits home for Weehawken Local 15 members.
Literally.
Each year, the Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K for Special Olym-
pics New Jersey comes through their town, and they all usually
have to work the event. So when it comes to other SONJ events,
Local 15 is all in.
They love doing the Plane Pull and the Torch Run, but doing
the Polar Bear Plunge goes back a long way. Members Vinnie Avo-
letta and Justin Rollins have been part of the team for the past 15
years, and their inspiration helped the effort grow to 12 Local 15
officers participating this year.
“Vinnie and Justin have been encouraging everybody to come
out, and we’re very proud that we have our biggest turnout ever,”
Local 15 Treasurer Joe Poole explained as his team made its way
down Ocean Terrace toward the beach.
“Special Olympics is something that we take pride in,” Poole
continued. “With the 5K Tunnel Run being in our town, it’s a great
cause and we love participating.”
Poole had enough of Avoletta and Rollins busting his chops
about not plunging, and that is the reason he did it for the first
time this year. But he went one further, taking on the duty of team
captain. He posted notices in the locker room and on the bulletin
board in the department, and he nearly went member to member
to get people to participate.
“I was staying on top of guys for the cause,” he admitted. “For
a good cause.”
Rollins puts plunging into a perspective that makes participat-
ing a no-brainer.
“We could all be sitting in a bar somewhere, hanging out, or
we could do this,” he detailed. “We’re still hanging out with each
other, and we have a benefit to it.”
When it’s cold and he’s ready to jump in and be colder, Avoletta
described how that’s the experience that brings him back each
year.
“When you run in and it’s cold, it feels like you are running into
a bunch of needles, but it’s gratifying,” he said. “It’s a little bit of
bravery and a little bit of motivation to help people who aren’t as
fortunate as we are. There is no feeling like it.”d
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ MARCH 2018 45