Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run Takes Place June 8

Holmdel Officers Continue Decades-Long Tradition of Participation

On Friday, June 8, 2012, law enforcement officers from all across the Garden State will join forces, both literally and figuratively, to participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey. This statewide campaign, which began in 1983, is just one of numerous events that are held throughout the year by members of the law enforcement community to help raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics athletes. Today, more than $2 million is raised annually by more than 3,000 New Jersey officers through local and statewide events, including the Law Enforcement Torch Run, as part of the annual Summer Games held in June.

The longtime run leader for the Holmdel Police Department is Det. Sgt. Louis Torres, who has organized the department’s involvement for almost 30 years. Reportedly, this year’s run will be the last that he heads up, as he plans to retire from the force in the coming year, after 31 years of dedicated service.

On the day of the run, as in years past, Holmdel officers will join together with members of the Holmdel First Aid Squad and New Jersey State Police Officers at the Exxon station on Route 35 North, at the intersection of Palmer Avenue. There, they will await their turn to carry the approaching torch, known as “The Flame of Hope,” as it makes its journey, together with a state police escort, up Route 35. The Holmdel team will run 2.5 miles before passing the torch to the Hazlet Police Department.

Last year, the Holmdel runners included students from Holmdel High School and St. John Vianney High School (students from the track team have been invited to participate this year, as well), and the entire team was cheered on by small groups of local supporters along the way, and followed by the Holmdel Fire Department. Wearing specially designed t-shirts, carrying the American flag, and often dealing with hot weather conditions as they run alongside traffic in a closed lane, the Holmdel team typically raises several thousand dollars each year to help support the Special Olympics.

The Holmdel Police Department will be participating in the seventh leg of the event, Shore Run/Island Beach, which starts at approximately 4:45 a.m. at the entrance to Island Beach State Park on Route 35 and continues to the Perth Amboy Shoprite on Route 35 at around 2:00 p.m. That leg alone extends 60 miles, with a total of 200 runners participating. The 750-mile run culminates at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, where the torch lights the cauldron at the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics Summer Games that begin that evening at 7:30 p.m.

Sponsorship opportunities (from $100 to $10,000 levels) are available and donations can be made on behalf of an individual runner or a particular police department. For more information on how to sponsor the Holmdel Police Department, contact Det. Sgt. Torres at (732) 946-4400 or at LTorres@holmdelpolice.org.

For more information on the 2012 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey, visit www.sonj.org/LawEnforcement/TorchRun, call (609) 896-8000, or e-mail LETR@sonj.org.