The Guardians of the Flame
The Special Olympics community says thank you to the police officers around the world who raise money through the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and also says goodbye to an officer who was a true friend to the movement.
Eternal Flame. Officers at the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 World Winter Games, the finish of the Global Torch Run.
In Memory Of...
“John loved seeing all my medals from Special Olympics and he was one of my biggest supporters,” Stephanie Hammond said of Officer John Hege of the Oakland Police Department. Officer Hege was one of five Oakland (California) officers killed in March by a single gunman who was later killed by officers trying to arrest him.
"John was such a great person and a very good police officer," says Stephanie, a Special Olympics athlete. "I am dedicating my sports season to John and will do my best to honor his memory."
The Largest Grass-roots Fundraiser
Stephanie’s lost friend was one of 85,000 police officers who annually raise money for Special Olympics Programs through the Law Enforcement Torch Run®. The runs raised $34 million in 2008, making it the movement’s largest grass-roots fundraiser and public relations vehicle. Throughout the year, Special Olympics thanks these officers for their untiring support, and salutes those who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the world and its citizens.
The funds raised are only part of what the police officers give. Athletes say that the police officers involved with the Torch Runs give them acceptance, friendship and encouragement.
Torch Runs take place around the world and involve a broad cross-section of the law enforcement community. Last year, military police from Hawaii stationed in Iraq conducted a Torch Run in Tikrit, deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's home village.
From a Flicker to a Flame
The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas (USA), Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for and increase awareness of Special Olympics. The Torch Run was quickly adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), now recognized as the founding law enforcement organization of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. "What started in Kansas as a flicker of hope for Special Olympics has now become a roaring flame of stability for Special Olympics athletes worldwide," says LaMunyon.
Carrying the Flame of Hope
At its most basic level, the Torch Run is an actual running event in which officers and athletes run the Flame of Hope™ to the Opening Ceremony of local Special Olympics competitions, state/provincial Games, and National Summer or Winter Games. Every two years, law enforcement officers from around the world gather to carry the Flame of Hope in a Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg in honor of the Special Olympics World Summer or World Winter Games.
At its most fully developed, the Torch Run initiative encompasses a variety of fundraising vehicles in addition to the Torch Run itself. Torch Run fundraising includes T-shirt and merchandise sales, donations or pledges for runners in the Torch Run, corporate donations, special events such as Polar Plunges, golf tournaments or other events that have local appeal.
For more information on the Torch Run, contact your local Special Olympics Program. To locate a Program near you, use our Program Locator. For general inquiries, please contact Anna Berke, Torch Run Specialist, +1 (202) 824-0268 or aberke@specialolympics.org.
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