Even moments before taking a sub-zero bath, swimmers on the bank of the Saint-Lawrence River were dancing in place to keep warm.

More than 35 teams of police officers, politicians, managers and volunteers joined forces to take an icy plunge Saturday at the Lachine Canoe Club to raise funds that will sustain athletes competing in Quebec's Special Olympics. 

The event is organized by the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which rallies police services across the province to conduct tandem fundraisers benefitting local athletes. 

The RCMP, Longueuil police, Mirabel police and the SPVM all pledged – and plunged. 

The director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Shawn Delude, is a former SQ officer. 

Now the Chief of Akwesasne police, Delude recalls a time when a teary-eyed mother of a boy with intellectual disabilities thanked him for his efforts.

“That kind of made me a little teary-eyed myself—not knowing these people even, and I knew I was hooked. I haven’t looked back since,” Delude explained. 

This year, the goal is to raise $50,000. It's the largest annual fundraiser for Special Olympics.

In a statement, organizers said they hope the polar plunge, although a lighthearted event will ultimately "promote and educate the general public about the cause of people living with intellectual disabilities." 

The money raised at the event helps the athletes train in their sport, but gives them so much more. 

“We’ve seen many examples of people, who were basically left watching sports on television, and now they participate two or three times at world games – snow shoes, or alpine ski in Austria last spring,” said Daniel Granger, chair of the Quebec Special Olympics.

Quebec's Special Olympics training network supports more than 7,200 athletes from 17 disciplines. 

“Not only are they practicing sports, but it permits them to come out of their shell and flourish as a person,” Delude said. “And what it does—it permits them to meet other kids, it permits them to act in what we call ‘unified sports.’”