The city police Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics returns Tuesday morning in North Bay.
It’s a long-standing fundraising tradition with officers from area law enforcement agencies and Special Olympics athletes taking part in the run/walk.
“Some officers from the agencies come if they’re able to and support us,” says Cst. Merv Shantz, Games Manager for the 2027 Special Olympics Ontario Winter Games. “We have T-shirts that we sell to make part of the profits. It’s by donation, too, if people want to give.”
A charity barbecue is also taking place afterwards for those taking part.
“It’s more about awareness as we run through the city,” he says. “We’ll be running down Main Street, and we’ll have a police escort as well.”
We’re just over seven months away from the start of the games on Thursday, Jan. 28.
Shantz says they need to raise just over half a million dollars, and they’re coming along ‘really well’ with those efforts.
He says in the fall they’ll announce some partners that have come on board for $20,000 each.
“We’ve also got an exciting program called ‘draft an athlete’,” says Shantz. “It’s for smaller businesses, families, churches and other groups that want to support one athlete to come to the games and that will be $500.”
The program will be launched in September.
Back to the torch run, the international event started in the 1980s and has raised over a billion dollars worldwide for Special Olympics.
