REGION — The annual Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement took place June 6.

LETR began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon created the Torch Run. He thought the Torch Run would help law enforcement be active in the community and support Special Olympics Kansas. In 1983, Chief LaMunyon presented the program to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). They decided to endorse Torch Run and became the “Founding Law Enforcement Organization.” With the IACP’s support, LETR became the movement’s largest public awareness and fundraising group for Special Olympics.

In Bridgton, former Chief of Police Bob Bell learned of the torch run at an IACP meeting and brought it to Bridgton, making Bridgton the first town in Maine to hold one.

The 2019 Maine Law Enforcement Torch Run took place June 4-7 with more than 750 members of Maine Law Enforcement participating in the run across the state of Maine, acting as Guardians of the flame carrying the Flame of Hope to raise funds for and an awareness of Special Olympics Maine.
The run began in Sanford on Tuesday June 4th and started up again early Wednesday morning in Kittery. The run ended in a brief final leg at the University of Maine Orono on Friday afternoon.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is one of Maine’s largest fundraising events for Special Olympics and last year raised more than $400,000 for the Special Olympics that took place in Orono over the weekend.

Participating in the Norway to Mechanic Falls portion of the run were:

Special Enforcement Officer Mike Chaine, Auburn Police Department; Detective Gary Hill, Norway Police Department; Christina Sugars, volunteer-Special Olympics; Mariah Castonguay, District Attorney’s Office; Charity Klinger, DHHS fraud Division; Sgt. Phil Jones, Bridgton Police Department and leg leader; Investigator Jeff Campbell, Norway Police Department, Chief Rob Federico, Norway Police Department; Trooper Adam Fillebrown, Maine State Police; Officer Robbie Federico, Norway Police Department, PACE Ambulance; K-9 Officer John Lewis and partner BOLO, Norway Police Department; Officer Michelle Legare, Paris Police Department; Interim Chief Mike Dailey, Paris Police Department and Deputy Andrew Whitney, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

Also, Clint Huff, family, Oxford Police Department; Officer Jeremy Coron, Oxford Police Department; Officer Joshua Daley, Oxford Police Department; Chaplain Jarron McFarland, Oxford Police Department; Officer Brandon Correia, Oxford Police Department; Reserve Officer Jarrod Wiswell, Oxford Police Department; Cpt. Rickie Jack, Oxford Police Department; Sgt. Eric Quatrano, Oxford Police Department; Kathryn Bisson, Oxford Police Department family;  Shannon Webber, Oxford Police Department family; Sgt. Zak Bisson, Oxford Police Department; George Gardner, Oxford Fire/Rescue; Reserve Officer Reggie Littlefield, Oxford Police Department; Morgan Richardson, Oxford Police Department family; Morgan Letourneau, OHCHS student; Gabby Hall, OHCHS student; Molly Littlefield, OHCHS student; Cole Timberlake, OHCHS student and Cooper Hall, OHCHS student.

Future Special Olympians from The Progress center in Norway join the law enforcement runners in Paris by the high school and take turns carrying the torch. A.M. Sheehan

Handing off the torch in Oxford at Goodwin’s Motors, the Norway/Paris section joins the Oxford/Mechanic Falls section of the Bridgton to Brunswick leg to hand off the torch. A.M. Sheehan