Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Celebrates 40th Anniversary

LETR Leaders & Athletes Celebrate 40 Years of Friendship, Awareness, Fundraising

Albany, NY — The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics New York is celebrating its 40-year anniversary in New York and around the world.

For 40 years, LETR has served as one of the most powerful partnerships of Special Olympics. It is led by the “Guardians of the Flame,” a title proudly held by more than 6,200 law enforcement officers from more than 470 agencies across New York.

Always alongside athletes, these dedicated individuals carry the Flame of Hope through communities, and into competitions, to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. They also participate in fundraisers throughout the year, including annual events at restaurants such as Applebee’s, Tully, and Texas Roadhouse, and play a leadership role in each of New York’s Polar Plunges. LETR has raised more than $33 million for Special Olympics New York to date.

“There is something so incredibly remarkable and moving about our partnership with law enforcement,” said Special Olympics New York President & CEO Stacey Hengsterman. “When you look outside and see law enforcement carrying that torch, jogging the streets alongside our athletes, it warms your heart in the most unexpected way. And their personal relationships go so much further; they become genuine friends. They’re on Facebook together, attending fundraisers, calling on one another when a friend is needed. LETR is truly a blessing to our athletes and our movement.”

While LETR aims to capitalize on its anniversary year with the launch of a “40 for 40” fundraising campaign, Special Olympics New York is honoring its longest-standing leaders with a series of video interviews and featured stories.

Joe Barca was president of the Yonkers Police Roadrunners Club in 1986 when the Torch Run first came to New York. As an avid marathoner, Joe was asked to organize the first run and he’s been participating every year since. By 2006, he represented LETR nationally, running the Final Leg from Chicago to Ames, Iowa. He recalls, “After getting to know the athletes on a one-to-one basis, it was something I knew I had to stay involved with.”

“I think it’s incredible, especially seeing it from the law enforcement side,” said State Trooper Benjamin Zaccagnino. “We’ve had great experiences with LETR, and honestly what it means to me is just seeing how happy and how great of a community this is, is just incredible. We just love being a part of it and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“The Athletes of Special Olympics have become like a second family, not only to me but to my entire, very large family,” said Sal Gerbino, retired sergeant with the Gates Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and a Law Enforcement Torch Run Hall of Fame member. “The Law Enforcement Torch Run has been the catalyst for my involvement over the past 40 years, since it came to the Rochester area in 1986. Simply put, the pure excitement of the athletes toward the police officers who attend their competitions can only be compared to the extraordinary feeling that their response creates for those same cops.”

LETR began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon thought running the torch would help law enforcement be active in the community while also supporting Special Olympics Kansas. In 1983, Chief LaMunyon presented the program to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), which endorsed the concept. With the IACP’s support, LETR became the movement’s largest public awareness and fundraising group for Special Olympics. Learn more about LETR online, here.

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