Members of the Sarasota Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies will take to the streets for a great cause on Friday, participating in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.
Sarasota police officers and civilian runners will join more than 300 Florida law enforcement agencies in the annual statewide torch run to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Florida, including the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Customs, Air Force Police, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
More than 5,000 officers will carry the torch on a 1,500-mile relay through 67 counties in Florida to the Opening Ceremony of the annual State Summer Games.
Sarasota police, who have taken part in the cause for more than 20 years, will receive the torch from members of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office in the parking lot of Paradise Plaza Publix, 3825 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota, at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
Members of Sarasota police will carry the torch on a route that includes two legs: The first leg will take the torch north on Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), past the split with North Washington Boulevard, and continue north with a right turn on Adams Lane, ending at Sarasota Police Department Headquarters, 2099 Adams Lane.
The second leg will take the torch from Adams Lane, north on East Avenue to Main Street, and then travel west on Main Street through downtown Sarasota to Selby Five Points Park, 1 Central Ave.
Also participating in the torch run are the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority Police Department, Sarasota Circuit Office, Manatee Sheriff's Office Training Center, Manatee Technical Institute Criminal Justice Academy, and Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Donations to Special Olympics Florida can be sent to Sgt. Robert Morrison at the Sarasota Police Department (2099 Adams Lane, Sarasota, FL 34237) or online at give.specialolympicsflorida.org/site/TR?fr_id=1845&pg=entry. Morrison can be contacted at 941-263-6773 or Robert.Morrison@sarasotaFL.gov.
Nearly 70,000 Unified partners and athletes with intellectual disabilities receive health exams and compete in year-round sports competitions at no cost through the programs of Special Olympics Florida. Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5.6 million athletes in 172 countries. In Florida, more than 58,400 athletes and Unified partners are served with the help of over 38,700 coaches and volunteers.
All proceeds from the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics go towards supporting the Special Olympic athletes. For more information and routes for other counties in Florida, visit specialolympicsflorida.org/get-involved/law-enforcement-torch-run.
Submitted by Cynthia McLaughlin with staff report.
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