Troopers Carry the Torch for Special Olympics

(SUPPORTERS GATHER IN FRONT OF EFFINGHAM POST OFFICE TUESDAY MORNING TO CHEER ON STATE TROOPERS AND OTHERS RUNNING TO SUPPORT SPECIAL OLYMPICS)

Illinois State Police District 12 troopers & Effingham County Special Olympic Athletes met at the Old Courthouse in downtown Effingham Tuesday morning.  The troopers were there to carry the “Flame of Hope” from Effingham to Mattoon (Leg #16) to help raise funds for their hometown sports heroes, the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois.  About 3,000 officers representing every branch of law enforcement will cover the 23 legs of Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run. 

The Torch Run is the single largest year-round fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Illinois that offers year-round training and competition in 19 sports for more than 32,000 athletes with & without intellectual disabilities.  The annual intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects have two goals:  to raise money & to gain awareness for the athletes who participate in Special Olympics Illinois.  Each year, officers in Illinois run more than 1,500 miles carrying the “Flame of Hope” through the streets of their hometowns to deliver it to the State Summer Games in Normal, this year on June 15.

Local businesses supporting the Lake Sara Dam Run & the Law Enforcement Torch Run with $100 or more were Effingham County Pork Producers, Branches Massage & Spa, Get Fit, Kohl’s, Dairy Queen, Pepsi Mid America, Koerner’s Distributing, Bladez Salon, Legacy Harley Davidson, Effingham Asphalt, Washington Savings Bank, John Stephens, Effingham City County Ambulance, Beecher City State Bank, St. Anthony’s Hospital, Prime Sole, Effingham Crime Stoppers, Effingham New Car Dealers; Goeckner Bros, Northside Ford, Russ Brauneckers and Dan Hechts, Effingham Tourism & Visitor Center, James Broom, J & J Ventures, B & B Homes, S & S Service, Dr. Tony Weber, and Dr. Lawrence Leventhal.