Last year, a brave, dedicated and very daring young lady decided to help raise money for a Special Olympics in Meav's honor. This year, Kris Scharp participated again in the Lake Bluff Polar Plunge on March 1st.

They say anyone with a little guts and a warm heart can take the "Plunge," but this year Kris's health situation was not optimal for running into the icy waters of Lake Bluff. Yet, despite everything, Kris summoned the will and the courage to do it.

It was a raw winter day in Illinois on March 1st, even by Lake Michigan standards. Kris reports that the air temperature was 30 degrees and the water temperature a mere 34 degrees. She shared with Meav's fans her experiences the day of the Plunge:

"I need to tell you a little bit about this winter in Illinois. It has been cold, and it has snowed, and snowed, and snowed, and snowed. Prior to the event today, staff was plowing snow on the beach for access, but the one thing they couldn't move was all the ice floating in the water. Talk about a big glass of ice water. The one thing about ice in its natural form, it's sharp and jagged. So, when I ran into the water the first time, (no I didn't learn my lesson last year) the ice got my attention. I could feel it hitting against my legs but really didn't think much about it, but I definitely wasn't able to "run around" in the water like last year.

"After the second dip (to make sure we had usable video) I decided it was time to get off the beach. I went to put on my red socks from the kids and some dry clothes when I discovered what natural ice can do to bare legs. HHMM; cuts, bruises and a big goose egg on my shin. Okay, so here's my chance to meet another fireman this year. I went to the fire truck to get checked out and to get a band-aid. How cool was it when he let me get into the truck where it was NICE AND WARM! I didn't want to leave. Thanks to the Lake Bluff Fire Department."

Kris's friends and other Meav fans all pulled together to make her Plunge a profitable for Special Olympics.

"Polar Plunge 2008 is in the history books. Thank you to all who supported me with donations, as I raised $1,215 for Special Olympics-Illinois. Everyone's messages leading up to the event were great as I prepared to take the icy plunge. Several people were listening to MŽav at the time of the plunge to show their support. This year has been very special leading up to the event."

Kris also dedicated this year's Polar Plunge to the 2nd grade class of Sandy Harlow in Louisiana:

"In an earlier post, Sandy told (at the forum)the story of the children in her class that have been raising money through chores at home and school in order to make a donation to support Special Olympics. Plus, the kids were so worried about me being warm they sent me bright red socks. (Trust me, I NEEDED those socks)!I decided to do something special for Sandy's kids, something that would make them feel like they were here with me. I made what I call a 'Victory Towel', which has every child's name on it. I put the towel and my red socks into a zip lock bag, and they ALL WENT INTO THE WATER WITH ME! Thank you Sandy and kids, your love and support have been incredible and you make me so proud with your hard work and dedication to this event."

This year's Polar Plunge was definitely a memorable and special one for Kris. She has come through a challenging few months of battling health problems, but her strength and sheer determination helped her get through the event with flying colors.

"This year I must admit was much more difficult than last year for several reasons. However, I made a commitment to Special Olympics, to those who have supported me and to myself, so in I went. And a special thank you to those who sat by their computers and waited for a 'sign' from me that I survived another year."

According to the Lake Bluff website, last year 175 people raised an astonishing $87,000 for Special Olympics. What is even MORE astonishing is that this year 220 pungers raised over $110, 000.