Flame of Hope will travel to Lewiston, Hamburg, Orchard Park & Tonawanda
For the 31st year in New York state, law enforcement officers will carry the Special Olympics Flame of Hope throughout various communities leading up to opening ceremonies. The cauldron will be lit on June 16 at Sienna College, signifying the opening of the 2017 State Summer Games.
The week of May 15, the Special Olympics torch will continue its journey on Tuesday in Lewiston, Wednesday in Hamburg, Friday in Orchard Park and Saturday in Tonawanda.
The torch run leg on Tuesday will begin at 1 p.m. at Niagara University's Kiernan Center (5795 Lewiston Road) and finish at Center Street.
On Wednesday, the Flame of Hope will travel to Hamburg in memory of Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff and in honor of Joe Dubreville, a former Homeland Security investigation's agent. This torch run will run by four different schools as students come out to cheer on the runners. The leg will begin at noon at Hamburg Town Hall (6100 South Park Ave.) and finish back at the Town Hall.
Friday's torch run leg will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Orchard Park Fire District (30 School St.) and finish at New Era Field (Lot 2).
Saturday's torch run leg will open the 2017 Western Region Spring Games at Tonawanda High School at 9 a.m. There will be over 300 athletes competing at these games. The Flame of Hope will enter the Spring Games to declare them open.
Multiple law enforcement agencies will be involved in the four different torch runs, including the Lewiston Police Department, Niagara County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, Orchard Park Police Department, New York State Police, U.S Courts, U.S. Marshall Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, Erie County Sheriffs, Cattaraugus County Sheriffs, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Orchard Park Fire Department, Hamburg Police Department and Buffalo Police Department.
There will be 12 more torch runs in Western New York, which all help to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympic New York athletes, including the international torch run on June 7, which will unite the U.S. and the Canadian Law Enforcement Torch Run in the middle of the Rainbow Bridge.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grassroots fundraising and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics in the world. In addition to carrying the Flame of Hope to their local and state Special Olympic games, law enforcement officials organize and conduct additional fundraising initiatives such as polar plunges, merchandise sales and golf outings. In 2016, more than $55 million was raised internationally through LETR events.
More than $2.1 million was raised last year for athletes through LETR fundraisers in New York. Since its inception, more than $10 million has been raised through fundraisers providing training, equipment, venues, uniforms and transportation for hundreds of thousands of Special Olympics New York athletes.
Special Olympics New York has 68,547 athletes across the state compete and train in Olympic-style sports throughout the year, always at no cost to them or their families.
