Several members of the New Rochelle PBA/Police Department will participate in the 2016 New York State Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run from 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. May 5, according to a news release from the New Rochelle Police Department.
Eight NRPD officers will run in the event, and will hold the torch during a two-mile stretch between Mt. Vernon to Eastchester.
Yonkers Police Officers at the third precinct, 435 Riverdale Ave., will begin the Westchester leg of the run. They will carry the torch through the city and into the city of Mount Vernon. They will then hand the Flame of Hope™ off to the next jurisdiction. The event will end in Peekskill.
Last year, about 2,000 officers from more than 200 agencies across New York participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, according to NRPD.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is the movement’s largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness campaign, the release said. Its goal is to transform communities by inspiring people to accept and include people with intellectual disabilities, the release said.
During the Torch Run, officers and athletes run the Flame of Hope™ to the Opening Ceremonies of local Special Olympics competitions and State and National Games.
Each year, more than 85,000 volunteers from law enforcement agencies participate in the torch run in 46 nations, 12 Canadian provinces and 50 U.S. states. In 2014, the torch run raised more than $51 million for local Special Olympics programs. Since its inception in 1981, it has raised more than $560 million, the press release stated.