This evening we had the opportunity to speak to police and corrections officers from all over the state as they gathered in Mount Pleasant for a conference. The LETR program in Michigan raises over One Million dollars per year for Special Olympics! There are programs all over the state that involve prison officers, local police and sheriffs departments and the state police. An officer from Michigan even ran the torch into Athens on its final leg to the lighting ceremony at the World Games...and we were there!
At its most basic level, the Torch Run is a running event in which officers and athletes carry 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.
The cool thing to me is how this is such a community based program, started by a police officer in Wichita, Kansas in 1981, and one which delivers the awesome message of Special Olympics to many areas which otherwise might not be reached. I also think it has a positive impact on the way police might deal with people with ID who might be in need of help or understanding from law enforcement.
Molly rocked her speech and Danny and I spoke also. Our power point, which includes Molly's commercial and the World games music video seemed very well received. When we were done, the state head of the LETR took the stage and thanked Molly for reminding the group in such a personal way of why they do what they do. After the program concluded with awards for many officers we had the opportunity to mingle a bit and hear some great stories of folks involvement. Many of the people complimented Danny on his great speech and poise in front of the large crowd.
We were also presented with the first 2013 LETR shirts and they are SWEET! Look for more news in September when Molly takes a team up on their invitation to join them on one of their runs!
 |
| Danny accompanies Molly as she introduces the MC. She also gave the invocation! |
 |
| Scott Langum, 2nd in command at the Traverse City Coast Guard Station was the keynote speaker. He invited the kids up to check out the helicopters anytime! How cool! |
 |
| Michelle Dunaway, channel 9/10 and Fox 32 news |
No comments:
Post a Comment