Making a splash in Grundy County

I am so proud of my friends in Grundy County.  From Tracy City, to Palmer, to Gruetli-Laager, to Altamont and beyond, their pride is showing.  High atop the Cumberland Plateau, their little rural county isn’t near a major city, isn’t easy to get to, and may be best known for being the first school system to close when snowflakes start to form.

My Grundy friends tell me quite often, “You all only put us on the news when something bad happens.”  You know something?  That’s not too far from the truth.  There are some good people in Grundy County, and they deserve better.

So when they started notifying news outlets this week about the Madi Rogers 24-Hour Cold Water Challenge, we took notice.

Madi Rogers

They told us on Facebook and Twitter about Madi, almost two years old, and her struggles with Juvenile Diabetes.  We learned that she fears, and fights sleep after suffering an 18-minute seizure recently.  Friends and family began looking for ways to raise $18,000 to obtain a service dog for Madi.  The dog would be “able to sense whether or not her blood sugar is dropping or going up, 45 minutes before it does,” according to her mother Courtney.

It isn’t easy raising $18,000 in Grundy County, but try telling them it can’t be done.  They’ll prove you wrong.  In a county filled with streams, lakes, ponds, and waterfalls, they established the Cold Water Challenge.  Folks are getting soaked in cold water, and challenging others, inside and outside the county to do the same.  Upon taking the plunge, they donate up to $50 to Madi’s family.  A Facebook page is filled with videos of Grundy Countians, some fully clothed, whooping and hollering as they dive in for the big chill.  I’m proud to make a donation, and I hope you will too.  The address is: Courtney Rogers, PO Box 464, Gruetli-Laager, TN 37339.

I haven’t been able to get to Grundy County, and I’m not much of a swimmer, but as you’ll see in this video (SPOILER ALERT!) I did get wet.  Quite wet.  And yes, it was cold water.  Enjoy!