Georgetown County sheriff’s office urges community to join Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics

Lieutenant Jim Ketchum of the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to take part in the county’s Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics South Carolina. “Everybody will line up, and then we’ll … run into the ocean and get wet and support our athletes,” Ketchum said.

Ketchum said the county’s local Polar Plunge supports athletes across South Carolina and that, through the Law Enforcement Torch Run structure, “100% of the money that’s raised goes towards athletes in the state.” He told host Jackie Broach that last year’s local Polar Plunge raised $45,000 and that, as of his last check the previous week, the Georgetown County effort had raised about $16,000 toward its stated goal.

Event details: registration opens at 10:00 a.m.; a costume contest begins at 11:00 a.m.; and the plunge is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Ketchum said the minimum donation to participate in the plunge is $50, and donors may give more. He encouraged participants to register on site or donate via the South Carolina Special Olympics webpage, where supporters can select Georgetown County to direct funds.

Ketchum also summarized the national Law Enforcement Torch Run history as he understands it and gave cumulative fundraising figures in that context; those totals were described on the program as an overall historic figure for the Torch Run. The program did not provide independent verification of statewide or nationwide totals cited.

The Sheriff’s Office said it also supports local Unified Schools athletes and will post event photos to its Facebook page after the plunge. The county’s event listing confirms the same logistics and directs residents to gtcounty.org for additional details and any last‑minute changes.