Members of the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, Wadena Police Department, Todd-Wadena Community Corrections and the Verndale Police Department participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on June 18. They began in Wadena and handed off the torch in Staples. Bryan Savaloja, Cory Carr, Dacia Kreklau, Blake Petrich,Tyler Wheeler and Troy Wangsness raced down Highway 10 in Verndale with an entourage of squad cars following as they headed towards Staples.
The torch was passed from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office to the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) on June 18. Pictured are: Troy Wangsness, WCSO; Blake Petrich, Wadena Police Department; Erika Penner, Sara Carpenter, Bryan Savaloja, Tyler Wheeler, all of the WCSO; Allen Mekash, Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office; Mike Carr, WCSO; Jeff Hulse, WCSO; Cory Carr, Verndale Police Department and Dacia Kreklau, Todd-Wadena Community Corrections.
Members of the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, Wadena Police Department, Todd-Wadena Community Corrections and the Verndale Police Department participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on June 18. They began in Wadena and handed off the torch in Staples. Bryan Savaloja, Cory Carr, Dacia Kreklau, Blake Petrich,Tyler Wheeler and Troy Wangsness raced down Highway 10 in Verndale with an entourage of squad cars following as they headed towards Staples.
Carrying the torch for Special Olympics
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by Trinity Gruenberg
Members of law enforcement in Wadena County participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics (LETR) on June 18.
The event is to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics across the globe. Participants can run, walk, bike or skate as a guardian for the “Flame of Hope” torch in honor of Special Olympics athletes. This is the world’s largest fundraiser for the Special Olympics bringing in $600 million with the help of thousands of law enforcement agencies and 97,000 personnel.
The torch was handed off Tuesday morning from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office to the Wadena County crew comprised of members from the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, Wadena Police Department, Todd-Wadena Community Corrections and the Verndale Police Department who carried the torch to Staples. The torch was then taken to Baxter and handed off for the next leg of its journey.
The race started in five sections of the state: Moorhead, Bemidji, Duluth, Mankato and Rochester. A torch was ran in to Duluth from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. All the paths converged in St. Paul on June 21 at the Summer Games Celebration Ceremonies.
The Torch Run began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for, and increase awareness of, Special Olympics.
The idea for the run was to provide local law enforcement officers with an opportunity to volunteer with Special Olympics in the communities where the officers lived and worked.
After three successful years in Kansas, Chief LaMunyon presented his idea to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which endorsed Special Olympics as its official charity through the Torch Run.
The first run in Minnesota was organized in 1986. Today it is supported by the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, Minnesota State Patrol Association and Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police.