Team Surgery Shenanigans to take Polar Plunge this month; March for Babies in May
Team Surgery Shenanigans is several hundred dollars short of its $850 goal to support Special Olympics Kentucky, but team leader Pete Rogers is optimistic that the goal will be met before he takes a dive - or cannonball, he hasn't decided - on Saturday, February 20.
Rogers, division administrator for Urology, Pediatric Surgery, and ENT, established Team Surgery Shenanigans as a way for the UK surgery departments to band together and participate in charitable outreach programs. The Polar Plunge is the inaugural event for the team.
While Rogers has garnered some monetary and emotional support for the Polar Plunge, “I have so far had no one else willing to join me for the actual plunge,” he said.
According to the Special Olympics Kentucky website, the annual Polar Plunge is one of the organization’s largest and most popular fund raisers. On February 20, Polar Plunge fans and participants will meet in the parking lot of the Texas Roadhouse on Richmond Road where the “Polar Bears” donate funds for the privilege of taking – or NOT taking - a refreshing jump into a large outdoor swimming pool.
Given the unpredictability of Kentucky weather in February, the temperature could be freezing or it could be a balmy 50-60 degrees. But whatever the conditions, Rogers has vowed to take his second plunge.
Rogers hopes that Team Surgery Shenanigans can meet or exceed its goal of $850. But it will have to come fast as the team has only received pledges of up to $100 as of the first of February.
March of Dimes March for Babies, May 22
Another potential opportunity for Team Surgery Shenanigans outreach is the annual Greater Bluegrass March for Babies event. Tentatively scheduled for May 22 at Keeneland, there is a kick-off event scheduled for February 11. Details will be released at that time
Join Team Surgery Shenanigans
Anyone who wants to help with the Team Surgery Shenanigans in either the Polar Plunge or March for Babies event can contact Pete Rogers at 218-4951 or by email at peter.rogers@uky.edu.
