Marion County law enforcement officers hit the road for Special Olympics Torch Run

Andrew Carter, Marion Star
·3 min read
The first group of Marion County law enforcement officers reaches the finish line of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit the Special Olympics on Friday, June 24, 2022. The run started at Marion City Hall on West Center Street and ended at the Marion County Sheriff's Office on Executive Drive. The Steve Young Lodge #24 Fraternal Order of Police donated $1,000 to Marion County Special Olympics this year.

Law enforcement officers from Marion County once again showed their support for Special Olympics by participating in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run on Friday morning.

Officers from the Marion Police Department, deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office, members of the Marion County Special Response Team, and dispatchers from the 911 center participated in the 2022 run from Marion City Hall on Center Street to the sheriff's office complex on Executive Drive.

Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald said the local law enforcement community has had a long-standing relationship with the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Special Olympics program.

“Marion law enforcement has had a special and long term relationship with Special Olympics through the Law Enforcement Torch Run and this event is great way to give back to the community and to continue to make an impact in Marion,” McDonald said. "Law enforcement enjoys it. The Special Olympians enjoy it. The community enjoys it. This community supports what we do and this is just an opportunity to five something back to the community."

Marion County Special Olympics athletes and area law enforcement officers took time for a photo prior to the start of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run on Friday, June 24, 2022.
Marion County Special Olympics athletes and area law enforcement officers took time for a photo prior to the start of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run on Friday, June 24, 2022.

McDonald said the Steve Young Memorial Lodge #24 Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) donated $1,000 to the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) to support Marion County Special Olympics this year. In 2021, the FOP donated $500 to MCBDD  to support local athletes participating the Special Olympics.

Tabitha Butcher, manager of community services for Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities, said the annual Torch Run provides a good opportunity for Special Olympians to interact with local law enforcement officers in Marion County.

"We love coming out here to support our law enforcement as they support us and that partnership," she said. "It's a great time. It means everything to have the support from our community. It's how we run, how we operate. We just feel the love from everybody."

The Special Olympics State Summer Games in Ohio was scheduled for this weekend on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus. According to the event website, "nearly 2,200 athletes, Unified partners, and coaches from across the state (will) compete in bocce, bowling, soccer, gymnastics, powerlifting, track and field, tennis, and volleyball."

Law Enforcement Torch Run participants autograph this sign to commemorate the local edition of the 2022 event held on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Marion.
Law Enforcement Torch Run participants autograph this sign to commemorate the local edition of the 2022 event held on Friday, June 24, 2022, in Marion.

Butcher said the Special Olympics State Games is the biggest single event of the year for local Special Olympians.

"They get to stay in the dorms and we have events going on all day, every day. It's definitely the biggest event that they look forward to each year," she said. "We have 21 going this year."

The Law Enforcement Torch Run was founded in 1981 by Chief Richard LaMunyon of the Wichita, Kansas, Police Department. According to the Special Olympics website, Chief LaMunyon "thought the Torch Run would help law enforcement be active in the community and support Special Olympics Kansas."

LaMunyon then presented the idea to the  International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in 1983. That organization then decided to endorse the Torch Run and IACP became the “Founding Law Enforcement Organization.”

"With the IACP’s support, LETR became the movement's largest public awareness and fundraising group for Special Olympics," the organization's website states.

Law Enforcement Torch Run participants gather for one last photo at the conclusion of the 2022 event outside the Marion County Sheriff's Office on Executive Drive in Marion.
Law Enforcement Torch Run participants gather for one last photo at the conclusion of the 2022 event outside the Marion County Sheriff's Office on Executive Drive in Marion.

Donations to Marion County Special Olympics can be mailed to the following address: Marion County Special Olympics, Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 2387 Harding Highway East, Marion, OH 43302.

For information about Marion County Special Olympics, contact Tabitha Butcher, manager of community services for Marion County Board of DD, at 740-375-6185 or email her at tbutcher@marioncountydd.org.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter 

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Co. law enforcement officers hit the road for Special Olympics