Desiree Holland lived a big life: She was a trailblazer in Special Olympics Maryland and raised more than $250,000 for the organization.
Holland was the first female athlete to participate in Special Olympics Maryland’s Super Plunge – an event where volunteers dunk into the cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay every hour for 24 hours. She went on to participate for a whopping 19 years.
The event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars to help people with intellectual disabilities foster skills and participate in sports, Special Olympics Maryland said.
Holland was inducted into the Super Plunger Hall of Fame this week.
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Known as Desi, Holland passed away in August at the age of 52 but was remembered by her proud parents and many others at the induction ceremony in Sandy Point State Park.
The hall of fame honor recognizes a lifetime devoted to Special Olympics, her Super Plunge Partner Rick Barton told the crowd.
“Like the flame she so proudly held as a torch run icon, Desi radiated a beacon of hope, of motivation and courage,” Barton said. “Desi brightened the path for so many who followed her.”
Holland was one of the first Special Olympics athletes in Maryland, Barton said. Starting at age 6, she competed in track and field, aquatics and cycling. She has won many medals, including a gold medal in New Jersey and a silver medal in Shanghai.
Holland was an athlete ambassador, spoke at conferences and lobbied elected officials.
Her parents, Candy Holland, who worked at the Special Olympics for two decades, and Doug Holland, a former Hyattsville police chief, are advocates for those with Down syndrome.
Desiree Holland's interest in the Polar Bear Plunge began in the 2000s, her father told News4 last year.
“I did the very first Polar Bear Plunge, again Desi was down watching with her mom, and she told her mom on the way down, ‘I do this, I do this!’” Doug Holland said.
There’s no doubt her spirit lives on in everyone taking the plunge this Saturday – and in all the years to come.
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