Torch Run for Special Olympics Monday
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on May 20, 2007 2:02 AM
The local leg of the North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics begins at 8 a.m. Monday at the Goldsboro Police Department.
This year's games will be held June 1 through 3 in Raleigh. The run is held each year to help pay the athletes' expenses as they travel to the games. Local athletes planning to participate will cheer the runners on as they begin their trek through the city.
The 20 runners representing each of several law enforcement agencies in the county will pass a lit torch to one another as they proceed on their 13-mile journey through the city. The route covers various locations like Herman Park, Wal-Mart, Berkeley Mall, Greenwood Middle and Meadow Lane Elementary schools, Oak Forest and the base. After leaving the base, the runners will come back through town and end up back at the Goldsboro Police Department.
Goldsboro Police Sgt. Neal Lynch, the coordinator for this year's run, said the agencies in Wayne County raised just under $9,000 last year and around $28,000 the previous year.
But he said they were not able to meet their $6,000 goal for this year.
Every penny raised through the Torch Run drive, including the sale of T-shirt and caps, goes to the Special Olympics, he said. Any officer you see on the street should have some on hand in his patrol car. The shirts are $14, and the hats are $15, or you can get both for $25.
To contribute, contact any police officer in Goldsboro, Pikeville or Fremont, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the Sheriff's Office, the Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole or the Highway Patrol.
For information, or to order a T-shirt or cap -- or both -- by telephone, call 580-4273.