The first wave of Polar Bears heads for dry land after taking the the Lewes Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics last year in Rehoboth Beach. The 2019 Plunge was a record-setter as 3,544 registered Polar Bears raised more than $906,000. (Delaware State News/Glenn Rolfe)

On Feb. 2, several thousand volunteers will run from the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk into the Atlantic Ocean at the annual Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, a 29-year-old Special Olympics Delaware (SODE) fundraiser. Since its inception in 1991, the event has raised more than $12 million for SODE. Last year, a record 3,500 people registered for the Plunge.