By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News
This week kicks off the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics Illinois, culminating with the opening ceremonies of the summer games in Bloomington-Normal Friday.
Local bicyclists, comprised of law enforcement from throughout Livingston County, will arrive Thursday afternoon. They will join a parade of local athletes in downtown Pontiac and the parade will end at County Market, where Torch Run merchandise will be available for purchase. All proceeds will go to support the Special Olympics.
Pontiac Police Officer Derek Schumm, spokesperson for the local leg of the Torch Run, said the group will begin again bright and early Friday morning for the final portion of the journey.
“Bloomington is where the final leg begins in the evening. There’s usually a big parade of police cars and police officers jogging to the Bone Student Center, where we’ll have the kickoff conference,” Schumm said.
Schumm said the group has been doing a lot of fundraising, from the Polar Plunge to the more recent Tip-A-Cop event and the Casey Kohlmeier Memorial Ride planned for the end of June. He said the outpouring of support has been amazing.
“It’s great to see,” Schumm said. “When I first started, I didn’t realize how many local athletes there were. To see the amount of support we’re getting from the community and seeing the support the athletes are getting is very great to see. It makes me very happy.”
For more information and for a list of events, visit soill.org.
