Coppola, who graduated Verona High School with the class of 1976, will be participating in the Polar Bear Plunge in that shore town on February 25, 2017. This is one of the major fundraisers for Special Olympics New Jersey, which provides training and athletic competition in sports from alpine skiing to volleyball for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The 2017 Plunge will be Coppola’s seventh. “I have helped special people for many years,” he says simply, though his Plunge fundraising total so far is anything but: $25,000. And Special Olympians aren’t the only people he’s helping. Coppola is now the director of development at Emmaus For Veterans, which is working to build a living and training space for homeless veterans in Philipsburg, N.J. The 8,000-square-foot building will house approximately 50 vets and will be set up to teach various trades to the vets in residence.
Coppola’s Polar Bear Plunge goal this year is $8,500 and you can help him reach–or exceed–it by donating here.
