CULVER CITY, Calif., June 1, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- More than 3,500 law enforcement officers, including police chiefs and officers, military police, sheriffs and other law enforcement personnel, will carry the Special Olympics Flame of Hope during the 2004 Law Enforcement Torch Run(r), an annual effort to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics Southern California.
The Southern California Torch Run begins officially on June 1 at the U.S.-Mexico border, following a ceremony at the border involving Mexican and U.S. Law Enforcement personnel. Two additional legs, northern and central, will begin in San Luis Obispo County and Los Angeles County on June 7th. The torches are run throughout Southern California by law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes, heading towards California State University Long Beach, the site of the 2004 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. There, the three flames are combined and one torch is run into the Pyramid to light the flame of hope and signal the official start of the 2004 Summer Games.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run(r) is actually a year-round effort in which law enforcement personnel host a variety of community-based fundraisers to benefit Special Olympics athletes. The Law Enforcement Torch Run(r) is the largest grassroots fundraising program for Special Olympics programs around the world. Started in the 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, the Law Enforcement Torch Run(r) has raised millions of dollars worldwide for Special Olympics athletes.
Special Olympics Southern California serves over 11,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in an eleven-county region of Southern California. The program offers sports training and competition in 23 individual and team sports on a year-round basis. Athletes range in age from eight to eighty. SOSC is one of 52 accredited Special Olympics entities operating in the United States. For more information about Special Olympics Southern California, please visit www.sosc.org.