My name is Nolan Fritz and I'm fundraising for Special Olympics by participating in the 2026 Polar Plunge. Special Olympics is important to me because my sister, Tess Fritz, swam with Special Olympics through the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association from 2009 to 2017.
Tess worked hard to overcome adversity in and out of the pool, even having to twice relearn how to swim following severe epileptic seizures. However, Tess was never deterred. That perseverance led her to countless State Qualifiers and to several State Championships. Every medal my sister won is a testament not just to her skill as a swimmer, but also to her bravery and resilience. "Just keep swimming", the phrase first uttered by Finding Nemo's Dory, is the perfect summation of Tess Fritz as both a swimmer and person.
Every Special Olympics athlete has a story like Tess's. Everyone needs purpose, belonging, and something to be proud of. Special Olympics not only provides that for its athletes, but teaches the world to celebrate neurodiversity, not stigmatize it.
That is why I'm collecting donations for Special Olympics Illinois. For your generosity I will, once again, jump into cold Lake Michigan on Sunday, March 1st. My personal goal is to raise $2,000, which will go directly to Special Olympics IL and their athletes to help cover equipment, travel, and overhead costs.
THOSE INTERESTED IN PLUNGING WITH ME CAN JOIN TEAM FRITZ TO HELP US RAISE A COLLECTIVE $3,000!!! WE CAN DO MORE TOGETHER THAN WE CAN ON OUR OWN! PLUS, PLUNGE DAY IS A BLAST! INTERESTED? CHECK OUT THIS GUIDE HERE (CLICK ME) OR REACH OUT! ALL ARE WELCOME!
If you can't plunge with me this year, you can also help out by:
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Donating to my fundraising page!
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Come cheer on plungers at North Avenue Beach on March 1, 2026.
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Help me spread the word! Share my fundraising page with your friends and family.
Thank you for reading this far and considering giving to this cause. Last year was a blast! I'm still incredibly excited to raise money with my family, friends, and coworkers to help other Tess's out there chase their dreams. I hope I can count on your support this year (and maybe even plunge with some of you!). And remember: just keep swimming!
Update #1 - 1/18/26
We've raised $615 in less than 48 hours, which is already 30% of our goal! I get an email every time someone donates and every one of them makes me smile - ESPECIALLY seeing the name of a generous person I'm just so grateful to know. Thank you to everyone who's donated, shared, and reached out so far. Team Fritz is always growing and we're just getting started!
Also, PLEASE WELCOME MARY KATE BUCHHEIT TO TEAM FRITZ!!! CHECK OUT HER FUNDRAISING PAGE HERE, TOO! MK IS AWESOME!
Update #2 - 1/23/26
Today is -20⁰ F in Chicago, which felt like the perfect time to give another update. At the time of writing this campaign has raised $785 within one week of fundraising! Furthermore, my dear friend Mary Kate has raised $380, meaning we're 38% of the way to our $3,000 team goal! Thank you to everyone who's joined Team Fritz by sharing, donating, or taking on the plunge themselves! My favorite part about fundraising is seeing how much we can accomplish together. Me and you (the reader) couldn't do this on our own, but together, we're building a team that can raise thousands for Special Olympics. So once again, thank you. Let's keep growing Team Fritz together!
Update #3 - 1/31/26
I'm pleased to share that at $1,091, our fundraiser is over halfway to our $2,000 goal! Thank you to all who have joined Team Fritz by sharing, donating, and signing up to plunge! Sometimes the world makes me feel quite small, but I think we truly are making a big difference for Chicago Special Olympics athletes by highlighting their accomplishments and fundraising for their programs. And that's something we're doing together, just by contributing $5 here, $20 there, and spreading the word amongst likeminded people.
Meanwhile, with one month to go before the plunge, there's still plenty of time to join Team Fritz! I hope to see as many folks join as possible!
Update #4 - 2/15/26
I am pleased to share that we have passed our $2,000 goal!!! I'm going to thank you too, but please, THANK YOURSELVES for donating and sharing my page to make this possible! It's not every day we get to raise thousands of dollars to make the world a little better than we found it. But then again, when lots of people come together and give what they can, it's easier than it seems.
As a stretch goal, my new fundraising goal is $2,345.51 (one cent more than we raised last year). The plunge is two weeks away and there's still time to be involved!
- CURRENT DONORS: I've already asked a lot of you, but do you think you could share my fundraising page with others who may be interested in supporting Special Olympics?
- PROSPECTIVE DONORS: May I invite you to contribute what you can and join Team Fritz? It feels like a cliche, but it's totally true that ANY AMOUNT (even $5) can make a BIG DIFFERENCE
We're also SO CLOSE to our Team Goal of $3,000 - congratulations to Jack for passing his $200 goal and to MK for nearing her $500 goal!
Thank you for supporting us!
