Torch Run for Special Olympics

Roswell, N.M. — Local citizens are encouraged to come out to support members of the Roswell Police Department as they participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The law enforcement personnel will carry the torch through town Saturday, May 18.RPD members will carry the torch north on Main Street between Poe Street and 19th Street beginning about 8 a.m. The torch will eventually be handed off to other law enforcement agencies who will carry it into the next portions of the run.
The torch will eventually cover 1,600 miles throughout New Mexico and reach Albuquerque, where this year’s New Mexico Special Olympics Summer Games will be held May 31-June 2.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run brings awareness of Special Olympics and its need for support through financial donations. Special Olympics New Mexico programs and services benefit more than 3,700 athletes with intellectual disabilities. Anyone interested in donating can contact Director of Development Christine Roybal Hidalgo at (505) 856-0342 or christine@sonm.org. Wichita, Kan., Police Chief Richard LaMunyon created the Law Enforcement Torch Run in 1981. He thought the Torch Run would help law enforcement be active in the community and support Special Olympics in Kansas. In 1983, LaMunyon presented the program to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). That organization endorsed the Torch Run and became the “Founding Law Enforcement Organization.” With the IACP’s support, the Torch Run became the largest public awareness and fundraising effort for Special Olympics across the country.