The 36th Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Connecticut will take place Wednesday, June 1, through Friday, June 3, when law enforcement officers will run through their towns and pass the Torch, with its “Flame of Hope,” at each town line.

Newtown Police Department officers and Garner Correctional Institution officers have traditionally run the Newtown leg.

The Torch Run aims to promote awareness of Special Olympics, support the organization’s year-round sports and health programs and inspire inclusion for people of all abilities in communities statewide. More than 1,500 officers are expected to participate, representing municipal departments, correction facilities, military police, federal employees, Connecticut State Police, and college and university public safety officers.

The Torch is expected to arrive in Newtown on Friday at 11:32 am, according to the latest SOCT schedule. It will follow its traditional route, traveling Route 302 from Bethel into Newtown. Runners will follow 302 to Main Street, and then continue straight onto Glover Avenue. They will bear left onto Queen Street, following that road to its intersection with Church Hill Road.

At Church Hill, runners will turn right, and follow Church Hill down to Blue Colony Diner. At the diner, the torch will be picked up by a CT State Police trooper, who will transport the torch and a runner over I-84 to Troop A in Southbury, where the run will resume.

The Torch Run will culminate with the traditional Final Leg that will take place during the Opening Ceremony for the 2022 Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games, a sports competition for its athletes, at Fairfield University. The Opening Ceremony will be livestreamed on Special Olympics Connecticut’s Facebook page on Friday, June 3, at 6:30 pm.

To view Torch Run schedules and routes, visit soct.org.

For Torch Run updates, follow Special Olympics Connecticut and the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Adopt-A-Mile Opportunity To Support Local PD

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is Special Olympics Connecticut’s largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle.

The International Torch Run Program raises more than $42.6 million each year for Special Olympics worldwide. More than 85,000 people from 48 nations, 12 Canadian provinces, and 50 states carry the “Flame of Hope,” raising awareness and funds for Special Olympics.

Local groups and businesses that would like to support Newtown PD are invited to Adopt-a-Mile for the run course. Each mile is a $100 donation, and donations go directly to Special Olympics Connecticut.

To make this donation contact Ofc Will Chapman or Ofc Stephanie McDermott at 203-426-5841.

At its most basic level, the Torch Run is a running event for the officers and athletes who carry the Flame of Hope to the opening ceremonies of local tournaments, or state, provincial or national Summer or Winter Games. Further, the Torch Run program encompasses a variety of fundraising vehicles. In addition to the Torch Run, T-shirt and other merchandise sales, donations or pledges for runners in the Torch Run, corporate donations, and special events such as Penguin Plunges, golf tournaments, and other events also raise funds.

For more information on Special Olympics CT and the LETR go to soct.org/ways-give/law-enforcement-torch-run/