Share: 

Law Enforcement Torch Run benefits Special Olympics

More than $7 million raised by participants over the past three decades
The Special Olympics Flame of Hope is carried along Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach June 6 on its first leg of a journey that ended at the University of Delaware for the opening of the 2018 Summer Games. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Ron MacArthur
June 18, 2018
A police escort leads the first leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run along Route 1 out of Rehoboth Beach.
DSP Cpl. Lindsay Coleman, left, was chosen to run the first mile with the Flame of Hope. The first mile was dedicated to DSP Cpl. Chris Shea, who was tragically killed on July 18, 2004, by a drunk driver. Susan Shea and her children, Chris and Lizzie, attended the opening ceremony at the Bandstand.
Trooper First Class Andrew Shaub has the honor of presenting the Flame of Hope to start the run.
Georgetown Police Department Chief R.L. Hughes is chairman of the 2018 Torch Run.
Greg Nolt of Seaford, who has been involved with every event over the past three decades, is Torch Run director.
Receiving recognition for their support or sponsorship of the Torch Run during the kickoff ceremony are (l-r) Kelly Munyan, Nicola Pizza, sponsor; Doug Watts, State Fraternal Order of Police, sponsor; Reggie Miller, Special Olympics athlete, Sussex Riptide; Tom Brackin, president Delaware State Troopers Association; Zach Pettyjohn representing Correctional Officers Association of Delaware, sponsor; and Greg Nolt, state director, Delaware Law Enforcement for Special Olympics.
The band 33-1/3 entertains a large crowd attending the 32nd annual Law Enforcement Torch Run kick-off ceremony at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand.

Delaware law enforcement officers are devoted in their support of Special Olympics Delaware. The signature event is the annual three-day, 160-mile Law Enforcement Torch Run ending when officers present the Flame of Hope to open the Special Olympics 2018 Summer Games at the University of Delaware. This year, more than 500 police officers participated in the run.

And it’s not just the run. Throughout the year, more than 800 officers participate in Torch Run-related events, including fundraising and volunteering for Special Olympics. More than 25 percent of the state’s police officers participate in the event. In the process, police have raised more than $7 million to support Special Olympics sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The send-off ceremony for the 32nd annual Torch Run took place June 6 at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. Led by a police motorcycle escort, police and Special Olympics athletes carried the flame down Rehoboth Avenue, heading north on Route 1 and stopping at Delaware State Police Troop 7 for the night. On June 7, runners from Troop 7 in Lewes and from Delmar and Georgetown traveled through Milford and met up in Harrington before heading to Dover’s Legislative Hall for a ceremony. The day ended at Troop 9 in Odessa. On June 8, runners proceeded to Wilmington Police Headquarters for another celebration before heading to Newark and the University of Delaware.

The state’s first Torch Run occurred in 1987, six years after the first event in Wichita, Kan. From the start, Greg Nolt, retired state trooper from Seaford, has taken part. Nolt serves as statewide Torch Run director.

The first mile of the Torch Run was in memory of DSP Cpl. Chris Shea, who was tragically killed on July 18, 2004, by a drunk driver. Susan Shea and her children, Chris and Lizzie, attended the opening ceremony at the Bandstand, and Lizzie ran the first few blocks of the run.

DSP Cpl. Lindsay Coleman was selected to carry the torch during the first mile.

 

Most Popular

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter

Most Popular