Carrying the Flame: The Legacy of John “Pre” Prewasnicak and 40 Years of LETR
By Paul Raglow-DeFranco, Genesee Region Storyteller
As the Law Enforcement Torch Run celebrates 40 years in New York and around the world, one of its most beloved ambassadors leaves behind a legacy carried forward by the athletes, officers, and families he inspired. Retired Rochester Police Department Lieutenant John “Pre” Prewasnicak passed away unexpectedly just days after interviewing for this story.
“Pre was the best of the best,” said Special Olympics New York President and CEO Stacey Hengsterman. “He had a special relationship with so many athletes and members of our team. While Pre’s home base was Genesee Region, his impact on our community is felt statewide.”
Pre spent more than three decades dedicated to Special Olympics New York and the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) movement, building relationships that extended far beyond Torch Runs and fundraising events. As the Statewide LETR Director in 2023 and 2024, he also spent two years as a member of the Special Olympics New York Board of Directors.
Shaping the lives of fellow officers and athletes was something Pre did time and time again. For instance, for retired Correctional Facility Sergeant Kevin Arnone, Pre
“held the highest standards in everything he was involved with and was always the first to raise his hand when something had to be done.” And Arnone should know; his journey with LETR started way back in 1988 when he and a group of correctional officers traveled to Dansville, New York, for their first Torch Run. Subsequently, Arnone became acquainted with Pre and noted that “he was involved in LETR on so many levels and was proud to do so.”
As Arnone and Pre exemplify, the relationships built through LETR have transformed the movement into something far greater than an annual run: It became a lifelong commitment built through friendship, purpose, and the athletes who inspired them along the way.
Arnone had little exposure to the Special Olympics before participating in his first Torch Run. But after completing that first run, he says the experience immediately changed him.
“When we turned the corner and got to the school, there were probably 40 to 60 teachers and athletes out there holding signs saying, ‘We love the Law Enforcement Torch Run’ and cheering us on,” Arnone recalled. “It was very touching. Everybody was emotional. All these law enforcement guys were wiping their eyes. That’s when it really hit us what the Torch Run meant.”
Less than a year later, Arnone’s connection to the movement became deeply personal when his son Adam was born with Down syndrome. Looking back, Arnone believes his introduction to the Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics helped prepare him for the journey ahead.
“I knew nothing about individuals with disabilities,” Arnone admitted. “But after meeting these athletes and seeing the joy, support, and community surrounding Special Olympics, it definitely made things easier for me when Adam was born.”
What began as a single Torch Run soon evolved into decades of involvement with Special Olympics New York. Arnone first served on the LETR statewide committee before eventually becoming director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, helping grow the movement not only across New York but also throughout the international LETR community. Today, he continues giving back by coaching Special Olympics athletes. Over time, Arnone says the athletes became much more than participants in an event.
“I’ve had athletes reach out to me when their mother is ill or when things aren’t going well at work or school, asking, ‘Coach, can you help me out?’” Arnone shared. “They become almost like family. It’s much greater than running a Torch Run.”
For Arnone, those relationships are what continue making the Torch Run so meaningful decades later.
“Until you meet the athletes, that’s what it’s all about,” Arnone said. “The athletes are everything. My message is to get out and carry the torch once because it will change your life. It will be the most positive thing you can do.”
While Arnone began his LETR journey before Pre, it was Pre who later introduced Rochester Police Department Investigator Erin Rogers to the movement during one of the darkest chapters of her life. He did so as a way to help her cope.
“After losing my son Andrew, there was a space in my heart that felt impossible to fill,” Rogers shared. “I was searching for something meaningful, a way to give back and a way to heal, and that’s when I found Special Olympics. In a time when grief made the world feel heavy, the athletes reminded me what happiness meant to me again,” Rogers said. “Their excitement, courage, and unconditional kindness began filling pieces of the emptiness I carried inside.”
As Rogers continued volunteering with Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run, she says the experience transformed her understanding of service, connection, and community.
“The experience was not just about serving others, but it was also about healing me,” Rogers said. “Carrying the Flame of Hope alongside these athletes gave me a new sense of purpose.”
Over time, Rogers says the bond between athletes and law enforcement officers becomes much deeper than many people initially expect.
“Officers go into Special Olympics thinking they are there to serve the athletes, only to realize the athletes change them just as much,” Rogers shared. “Over time, athletes stop seeing you as a police officer and start seeing you as a friend, mentor, teammate, and supporter.”
One memory that continues to stay with Rogers came during a Torch Run in pouring rain, when she and Special Olympics athlete Jacob Babcock found themselves trailing behind the rest of the runners, where Babcock encouraged her to keep going.
“The fact that we kept going together in the pouring rain is something I’ll never forget,” Rogers reflected.
Not surprisingly, it was Pre who first helped Babcock discover that passion.
“Pre believed in me before I believed in myself,” Babcock said.
There was a time when Babcock could not run a mile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pre began meeting Babcock at a local college track in Rochester, running beside him lap after lap through the uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic.
At first, Babcock could barely make it through a lap. But Pre kept showing up. The two spent months training together in hopes of participating in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics New York. When the event was eventually canceled because of the pandemic, Pre gathered several former police colleagues and created a Torch Run of their own.
“It was just the four of us,” Pre recalled with a laugh. “We had 20 cops shutting down the streets for four people.”
The two met years earlier at a Special Olympics New York Athlete Leadership Council class, but their friendship deepened through their shared passion for the Law Enforcement Torch Run and countless miles of training together.
“There was a time when I couldn’t run a mile, but Pre believed in me before I believed in myself,” Babcock said. “He ran beside me, encouraged me, pushed me, and never gave up on me. Because of that support, I now run miles without stopping during Torch Runs.”
Years later, Babcock’s dedication and passion for the Torch Run earned him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was selected to represent New York during the Final Leg at the Special Olympics World Games in Italy, where he carried the Flame of Hope alongside officers and athletes from around the world. For Babcock, the experience was emotional not only because of the honor itself, but because of the friendships and sense of belonging the Torch Run had given him along the way.
“It’s incredible to see Jacob come this far,” Pre said. “I knew he could do it, but he didn’t know he could do it. He’s a very determined individual, and once he commits to something, he never gives up.”
As Babcock prepares for the upcoming Rochester Torch Run on Friday, June 5, he will do so carrying the encouragement, belief, and friendship Pre gave him through years of running side by side. Pre’s impact lives on in every run, every mile, and every athlete encouraged to keep going.
“The Flame of Hope represents a family and a community that lifts people up, sees abilities instead of limits, and helps people discover strengths they never knew they had,” Babcock said. “One person believing in someone can change what they believe about themselves forever.”
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