From January to April—in a heartwarming wave of volunteerism—nearly 180 Lithia & Driveway employees and family members across six states willingly jumped into bone-chilling waters to support Special Olympics’ annual Polar Plunge fundraiser. Combined, these hardy volunteers raised over $92,000 to directly benefit children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Building Momentum for Community Giving
Enthusiasm for the Polar Plunge has been steadily expanding since 2023 when store employees in Bend, Oregon paved the way for other stores to organize their own plunges. Fast forward to 2026. Due to the personal energy of volunteer coordinators and the leadership of Brittany Osterhout, LAD’s Community Relations Manager, store participation has only continued to ramp up beyond Oregon’s borders.
“To make a more powerful impact in the communities we serve across our network, we adopted Special Olympics as the company’s Q1 social-sustainability focus,” says Osterhout. “Our goal is to raise awareness for giving-back and getting more stores and employees to participate.”
Happy Highlights from the 2026 Polar Plunge
In total, our store teams raised nearly $50,000 for Special Olympics chapters in California, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Tennessee. We’re excited to share some of the happy highlights from this year’s plunges:
ATLANTA & MEMPHIS STORES MAKE A BIG SPLASH AT FIRST-EVER PLUNGES
Shawnee Lavy, a LAD regional operational facility manager, coordinated brand-new plunges in Atlanta, GA and Memphis, TN, citing her nephews and niece who are on the autism spectrum as inspiration. Her leadership helped raise over $16,000 for Special Olympics! In Atlanta, three stores raised just over $7,800, while in Memphis, six stores plunged for a total of nearly $10,000!
Attending the Memphis plunge, Lavy described a successful day where volunteers enjoyed sporting car-themed costumes, warming up with a special chili cook-off, and raffling off prizes. A fun team moment came when one of their store GMs, Ryan McElroy from Sunrise Buick GMC, jumped into the water in his work clothes.
FOUR PLUNGES BOOST DONATION TO SPECIAL OLYMPICS OREGON
Lithia & Driveway has been a long-term title sponsor for the Polar Plunge in Oregon, and our teams get into the spirit with creative costumes, our Super Plunger, and cheering for one another. Between the plunges in Bend, Medford, Eugene (including Salem & Roseburg), and Portland, over 100 volunteers raised over $60,000.
SUPER PLUNGE BREAKS OREGON DONATION RECORD!
In a shining example of how to Take Personal Ownership, Brandon Wilson from DFC in Portland, OR, volunteered as a Super Plunger—completing 24 plunges in 24 hours in 24 different costumes. Fueled by generous store and employee donations from across the country, Brandon smashed the Special Olympics Oregon record with a breath-taking total of over $43,000!
“Lithia Hospitality Suite.”
LAS VEGAS STORES PLUNGE AT LOCAL WATERPARK
In April, nearly 40 participants representing three LAD stores met at a local waterpark for their plunges, hauling in nearly $5,000 for Special Olympics Southern Nevada. Store leadership generously sponsored each plunger and Lithia & Driveway had the largest registered team at the event.
“There was a lot of energy and excitement surrounding the plunge,” noted Stacy Rozance, our volunteer coordinator in Las Vegas. “A really fun, extra perk for the plungers was they could stay at the waterpark for the rest of the day, free of charge, after their coolish plunge for Special Olympics.”
FRESNO TEAM MEMBER WINS TOP PLUNGE HONORS
Over the course of three March plunges in Fresno, Roseville, and Redding, 21 volunteers raised over $6,000 for Special Olympics Northern California. A big shout-out to Alisa Sipes, Talent Acquisition Manager located in Fresno, who won the top individual fundraiser award with a $3,050 plunge—and she did it in style, winning the best blow-up costume award!
WASHINGTON STATE STORES PLUNGE AS TEAM LITHIA
Erin Bowers, Business Manager at Spokane CJD, coordinated her region’s Polar Plunge and reported that 10 employees representing Team Lithia raised $4,833 for Special Olympics Northern Idaho.
In addition to taking the plunge in February in icy conditions, they raised extra funds by holding bake sales in their showrooms and partnering with a local coffee shop to donate a percentage of proceeds on a certain day in honor of the stores’ Polar Plunge.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Special Olympics makes it easy to get involved in the Polar Plunges, which are held in countless cities across the nation. The plunges are fun-filled and inspirational, offering blow-up costume contests, 5K runs, food events, and friendly competitions.
To learn more about the 2027 Polar Plunge or becoming a Super Plunger, contact Brittany Osterhout at brittanyosterhout@lithia.com.
