For the past decade, Great Neck’s Erin Lipinsky has made a splash in fundraising for the Special Olympics through the annual Polar Plunge.

He has continuously raised thousands of dollars yearly and set records for the most money raised.

While the Polar Plunge is still five months away, Lipinsky has already started to raise funds for the annual event. His coaches said this is how he stays a top leader in fundraising in the state.

“He’s always our first person to start fundraising,” Special Olympics New York Director of Development Alexis Dawson said. “He’s always thinking about it as soon as the plunge ends what he can do for next year. That’s why he’s No. 1 every year. So we love him for that.”

“I don’t quit,” Lipinsky said.

The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization that supports athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports. The Polar Plunge is an event where participants jump into cold bodies of water to fundraise for the Special Olympics.

Dawson said its top fundraising method is peer-to-peer, as exemplified by Lipinsky’s efforts through the Polar Plunge.

“Somebody like Erin is a shining example of what we want every plunger to do,” Dawson said.

“That’s right,” Lipinsky said in response.

Lipinsky’s fundraising has already begun, which included a car wash in June that raised about $1,200.

The Town of North Hempstead will host its Polar Plunge on Feb. 8. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the plunge will commence at 10 a.m.

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said the event is important in the community.

“It’s for the joy of sports,” DeSena said. “This is very inclusive. It allows the athletes to participate in sports, it allows their families to come and cheer them on. This is physical fitness, coaching, camaraderie and mostly including everybody.”

Dawson called their pursuits an “inclusion revolution.”

Lipinsky said he does it for the kids, not himself.

Lipinsky has been participating in the Polar Plunge for about 10 years and has been a leader in fundraising every year.

In 2023, Lipinsky estimated he raised $32,000 for the organization. When he sat down with Schneps Media Long Island, Lipinsky brought a notebook that included the line-by-line breakdown of every donation he had received.

Dawson said Lipinsky is the state organization’s top fundraiser downstate. DeSena said she and the town are proud to have a resident like Lipinsky.

While he has reached heights in fundraising, Lipinsky said he is looking to do more this year to raise the bar even higher.

Lipinsky is supported by his team which he refers to as his coaches. This includes Dawson, as well as family friend Joan Lazaunik and DeSena. In tandem with these supporting individuals is also the community at large, including the Great Neck fire departments.

“It’s a real team effort,” DeSena said.

Dawson said the organization seeks to bolster its support by bringing in more schools to participate. Students can get community service hours through their participation.

Lipinsky has aspirations to continue fundraising leading up to the plunge. Individuals can donate to Lipinsky’s fundraiser at http://events.nyso.org/goto/lipinsky.