Torch Run to Raise Funds for Special Olympics Connecticut

As Thursday’s temperatures soar once again into the 90s, hundreds of law enforcement officers, Special Olympics Connecticut athletes, and volunteers will take to the streets of Connecticut as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest grassroots fundraiser and for Special Olympics Connecticut. Organizers hope to raise $550,000 this year.

Thursday marks Day 2 of the three day run, as the “Flame of Hope” passes through 100 Connecticut towns en route to its ultimate destination at Southern Connecticut State University where the 42nd Annual Special Olympics Summer Games will kick off with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10. The Games include track and field, cycling, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, and other sports.

On Wednesday, Day 1 of the Law Enforcement Torch run ended with a rally in Ledyard. On Thursday, five separate legs will proceed through Connecticut, all converging at the State Capitol Building in Hartford at 5 p.m. for the Day 2 Rally. The rally is dedicated to TFC Kenneth Hall, a 22-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police who was killed in the line of duty in September 2010. Hall volunteered on Leg 5, which passes through Canton, West Simsbury, Avon and West Hartford, the past few torch runs, Walsh said.

“Doing the torch run and doing all the fundraisers, you definitely see the impact,” Lt. Kelly Walsh, spokesperson for the Avon Police Department and Northwest Connecticut Torch Run coordinator, said. “When you go on a run with a [Special Olympics] athlete or do an event with an athlete, you definitely see the impact and how happy it makes them. It’s something they can participate in…as teams.”

She said that many people from the community, from Watertown to Hartford for Leg 5 of the race, “will stop and honk their horns,” and local schools and people working on construction sites along the route will watch. Participants may throw candy to the children watching. Some teachers from other towns even run.

“I think overall it’s important for the community to come out and support our local programs and our local athletes,” Walsh said.

Southington will participate in day three of the torch run as part of the final legs of the run, taking the torch at the Berlin line and carrying it 8.2 miles into Cheshire said Sgt. Lowell DePalma, spokesman for the Southington Police Department.

Laura Gremelsbacker, spokesperson for Special Olympics Connecticut, said, “You can feel the energy and excitement as we raise awareness across the state and head into the biggest weekend of the year.”

Gremelsbacker said she expects this 25th anniversary event to be “bigger and better than ever.”

Drivers should expect some extra traffic as the torch run passes through their towns. The torch run never closes down roads entirely, but the rightmost lane on Route 44 traveling from Canton to West Hartford will be blocked during the race. Walsh said traffic will be backed up on the Avon stretch between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

“It takes awhile to get up the mountain,” she said. “It’s probably the toughest part.”

Det. Dave Marinelli of the Wolcott Police Department has been involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run ever since the event began 25 years ago. He now serves on the Torch Run Council and as a team captain.

“What we do for these athletes, there are no words to even describe it,” Marinelli said.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run encompasses a variety of associated fundraisers held throughout the area like Tip-a-Cop and Cop-on-Top. Law enforcement agents also work throughout the year to raise public awareness for Special Olympics Connecticut.

“The law enforcement officers in Connecticut are involved in much more than just the three day Torch Run,” said Sergeant Luis Rosa, Law Enforcement Torch Run Director. Rosa will be absent from the Connecticut Torch Run because he is participating in the 2011 Final Torch Run in Athens, Greece.