MONROE, CT — Monroe police officers completed their leg of Special Olympics Connecticut’s Torch Run on Friday, running along Route 111 behind an escort of police vehicles, on a route from Trumbull to the Monroe Police Department.
A crowd from opening day of the Monroe Farmers’ Market cheered as the group of runners made their way onto Fan Hill Road and turned down the driveway of Monroe Town Hall late in the afternoon.
“The Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) is the largest public awareness vehicle and grass-roots fundraiser for Special Olympics,” according to Special Olympics Connecticut’s website. “Known honorably as Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the ‘Flame of Hope’ into the Opening Ceremony of local competitions, and into Special Olympics State, Provincial, National, Regional, and World Games.”
“Annually, more than 109,000 dedicated and compassionate law enforcement members carry the ‘Flame of Hope,’ symbolizing courage and celebration of diversity uniting communities around the globe.”
“The Law Enforcement Torch Run transforms communities by inspiring people to open their minds, to accept and include people with intellectual disabilities, celebrating differences among all people…recognizing and respecting the similarities we all share. For athletes and officers alike, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is a story of success, love, respect, and commitment between law enforcement officers and Special Olympic athletes.”
