Despite chilly temperatures, gray skies and steady rain on Saturday, Badin Hall held their signature dorm event, the Polar Plunge. The annual tradition is an effort to raise money for St. Margaret's House, a day center for women in South Bend.
The event took place on March 29 on the beach at St. Joseph Lake, where students paid $5 to plunge. Participants had the opportunity to buy $8 t-shirts and $15 towels throughout the week to improve their swimming experience.
Through their organization efforts, there was music, polar bear cookies and hot chocolate. Father Peter McCormick and Leprechaun McKenna Englhardt also attended the event.
Badin Hall vice president Alice O'Brien said the event came back last year after a hiatus from the pandemic. Much of the planning involved goes into making sure the event is safe for swimmers.
"We make sure that there's multiple lifeguards and multiple Notre Dame police officers in the water, making sure that no one gets hurt," O'Brien said.
Badin Hall president Gracie Holroyd, who organized the event, wrote in a statement to The Observer that they have been planning the event since November primarily through advertising efforts. Advertising was displayed on the screens in Duncan Student Center and LaFortune Student Center for almost a month, and tabling for the event took place in South and North Dining Halls as well as Duncan Student Center.
Holroyd wrote that one of her main goals for her presidency was to increase involvement and fundraising in Badin Hall with St. Margaret's House, and this event was meant to be the biggest fundraising opportunity of the year.
"I hope to make St. Margaret's House a greater known cause and to really show that even as a small dorm, Badin can really have an impact both on campus and beyond," she wrote.
O'Brien said she was very happy with the promotion efforts in comparison to past years, especially after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
At the tables, Badin students sold merchandise and a separate QR code was displayed for those who wanted to donate directly instead of participating in the plunge.
"We don't usually table. We're a pretty small dorm. So the fact that we were able to get enough girls to table three separate locations and three separate days is very big for us," she said.
Badin Hall's Instagram account was also used to advertise, where they posted past participant's experiences, including O'Brien herself.
"Seeing it as a freshman and participating in it was very cool for me. And now to be on the other side, having done a lot of the planning for it, has been very rewarding, especially now that I volunteer there," she said.
Freshmen Daniella Fonseca and Kristen Ison, both residents of Badin Hall, said they both participated in the plunge primarily to support St. Margaret's house.
Ison said the plunge itself was especially cold because of the rain, but it was a very fun experience. Both Fonseca and Ison said that they would definitely participate in the event next year.
"I know a lot of girls like to go over there and volunteer, so it's nice to do this. It's also fun, and you get to donate to a great cause," Fonseca said.
