The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is the largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics. Over 80 law enforcement agencies participate throughout Arizona, providing significant financial and volunteer support to all state-wide Special Olympics programs. At its most basic level, the Torch Run is an actual running event in which law enforcement personnel and Special Olympics athletes run the “Flame of Hope” to the Special Olympics Arizona Summer Games' Opening Ceremonies.
At its most fully developed, the Torch Run initiative encompasses a variety of fundraising vehicles, in addition to the Torch Run itself. Examples of 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, Truck Convoys and Tip A Cops.
The Torch Run program began in 1981, when Wichita, Kansas Chief of Police Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for and increase awareness of Special Olympics. The idea of the Law Enforcement Torch Run program was to provide local law enforcement officers with opportunities to volunteer with Special Olympics in communities where the officers lived and worked. In 1984, the International Association of Chiefs of Police endorsed Special Olympics as its official charity through the Torch Run program. With the IACP's enthusiastic support and leadership, the Torch Run soon involved all facets of the law enforcement community. Today, all 50 states and more than 35 countries have Torch Run programs.
Through all their various fundraising activities and events, Arizona Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest financial supporter collectively for Special Olympics Arizona and its over 10,600 athletes. We are proud to have them as a partner and appreciate the tireless efforts of the leadership and law enforcement personnel involved.
