Prince William Sheriff to kick off Special Olympics torch run in Occoquan

Special Olympics Virginia on Thursday will kick off its Law Enforcement Torch Run in Occoquan.

“We will celebrate this partnership at the Law Enforcement Torch Run Kick-Off Ceremony, May 26 at 11:30 am in Historic Occoquan (200 Mill Street), during which we will officially light the “Flame of Hope” as officers prepare to run it thousands of miles to Richmond. The Ceremony, which commences the countdown to Summer Games (June 10-11 in Richmond), will bring more than 100 law enforcement officers from across Virginia to Northern Virginia, as well as Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill, the 2016 State Chair of the Virginia Torch Run.” 

-Virginia Special Olympics spokeswoman Holly Claytor

Prince William County Sheriff Glen Hill is the Chairman of the 2016 torch run:

“Sheriff Glendell Hill became the Chairman of the 2016 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Virginia in October of 2015. Special Olympics Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run is a voluntary partnership between Special Olympics Virginia and law enforcement members. The program is designed to raise money to help sponsor and support Special Olympic athletes throughout Virginia. Each year, thousands of officers and deputies run, raise money and extend the ultimate gift of friendship, acceptance and inclusion to the 21,000 Special Olympics athletes from Virginia.” 

-Prince William County Sheriff Glen Hill spokeswoman

Here’s more from Virginia Special Olympics:

In addition to lighting the Flame, we’ll also celebrate the fundraising efforts of the more than 2,000 officers involved in the Torch Run, sponsored by the SunTrust Foundation, the Wawa Foundation and Enterprise and supported by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, the Virginia Department of Corrections, the Virginia Association of Regional Jails and the Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Since June 2015, they have raised a record $1.3 million for Special Olympics, pushing their overall fundraising total to more than $18 million since the Torch Run’s inception in Virginia in 1986.

Then, beginning June 4 in Bristol, officers from across the Commonwealth will run the Flame more than 1900 miles, from every corner of the state. On June 10, Metro Richmond officers will run the last leg from the Capitol to the University of Richmond’s Robins Stadium, where they’ll join more than 1500 Summer Games athletes and officially open Summer Games. For the Northern Virginia route (Region 1), which begins at 9:30 am June 9 at the Iwo Jima Memorial, visit the Torch Run Web site, www.torchrunva.com, and click on the Routes link.

Torch Run History: The Torch Run began 33 years ago with founder Wichita Police Chief Richard LaMunyon, and five law enforcement officers carrying the torch for Special Olympics Kansas’ Summer Games in Wichita. The Torch Run has since evolved into the largest grassroots fundraiser for Special Olympics with more than 100,000 law enforcement participants around the world, and a cumulative sum of a half a billion dollars raised since its inception in 1981.