SAN DIEGO, June 4, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) --
San Diego Police Chief, Other Representatives of U.S. Law
Enforcement Participate in Border Ceremony; Southern California
Law Enforcement Seeks to Raise $600,000 for Special Olympics;
Cal Fed Bank's Elvis Schmiedekamp Presents Check for
$50,000 to Special Olympics Southern California
During this morning's ceremony at the U.S/Mexico border in San Ysidro, the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" was passed from Mexican law enforcement to American law enforcement in the only such international law enforcement torch pass in the world. The passing of the flame kicked off the U.S. part of the relay run -- the 1,600-mile progression of the 2002 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Southern California, presented by Cal Fed Bank.
Those in attendance for the passing of the flame and the start of the Southern California run included: San Diego Police Chief David Bejarano; representatives of Mexican law enforcement -- including more than 30 officers who completed the last leg of the run in Mexico; Special Olympics Southern California president and chief executive officer, Janet Schulman; event "MC" KNSD-TV News traffic reporter, Kimberly King; Special Olympics athletes from the U.S. and Mexico; and the more than 40 representatives of U.S. law enforcement who would begin the relay from the border into San Diego County. In addition, Cal Fed advertising spokesperson and head of customer service, Elvis Schmiedekamp, presented Special Olympics Southern California with a check for $50,000. The Torch Run is presented by Cal Fed.
After the flame left the border, it began a 1,600-mile, 10-day route through 250 communities. Its route takes the flame north to San Luis Obispo and then south to California State University-Long Beach to start the 2002 Summer Special Olympics Games on June 14. In San Diego County, the flame traveled from the border to National City, to Chula Vista (and Chula Vista police headquarters), to National City to downtown San Diego (and its police headquarters), to Horton Plaza to Mission Bay to La Jolla, and to such coastal communities as Del Mar, Encinitas and Carlsbad. On June 5, the run will travel from Escondido to Carlsbad to Oceanside to Camp Pendleton, where Marines will take the Flame of Hope and run with it until they reach officers with the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
More than 4,000 officers from 250 Southern California communities are participating in this year's run. Participants come from federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies. It is hoped that the 2002 run will raise more than $600,000 to support local Special Olympians -- funds stay in the communities in which they have been raised.
"We are proud to be the site where the Southern California Torch Run originates," said San Diego Police Chief Bejarano. "This event offers an outstanding opportunity for law enforcement to express its commitment to Special Olympics and to the benefits that its activities bring to so many lives."
"This run reflects the heartfelt commitment of thousands of law enforcement officers," said Southern California Torch Run director, San Luis Obispo Police Chief Jim Gardiner. "It is their dedication, along with the generosity of such corporate sponsors as Cal Fed Bank, that fuel this run."
"Cal Fed is very proud to be the presenting sponsor for this event," said Elvis Schmiedekamp, Cal Fed ad spokesperson and head of customer service. "It's just so worthwhile - you witness an amazing dedication by law enforcement that brings tangible and meaningful benefits to Special Olympics Southern California athletes. It's an unbeatable combination, and we are very happy to be able to participate with this team."
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grass roots fund-raiser and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics in the world. Since its inception in 1981, more than 75,000 law enforcement officers from thousands of agencies have carried the Flame of Hope. Law enforcement officers from every state and from more than 40 countries carry the Flame of Hope in honor of Special Olympics athletes.
Presented by Cal Fed Bank, the 2002 Law Enforcement Torch Run is also being sponsored by Cingular Wireless, Claim Jumper Restaurants, CARQUEST, Red Lobster Restaurants, Quiksilver and Pepsi.
Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) serves over 11,000 children and adults with mental retardation in an 11-county region of Southern California. The program offers sports training and competition in 23 individual team sports on a year-round basis. Athletes range in age from 8 to 80. SOCS 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.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California Federal Bank is one of the largest California-based financial institutions, and one of the 25 largest banks in the United States, with approximately $54 billion in assets and 353 branches in California and Nevada. The bank is strongly committed to the Southern California market, with more than one-third of its branches located in the area, and with regional headquarters located in Glendale. Cal Fed's parent is San Francisco-based Golden State Bancorp (NYSE:GSB), a Fortune 500 company. With approximately 1.5 consumer and business customers, Cal Fed is a full-service community-oriented bank. For more information on the companies, see the Web sites at www.calfed.com and www.goldenstate.com.