NC Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics kicks off 2018 fundraising and awareness campaign

Raleigh - The North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch for Special Olympics kicked off its 2018 campaign of raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics North Carolina during an annual conference held in Atlantic Beach. Law Enforcement Torch Run co-directors DK Jones, retired from the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, and Claudia Morgan of the Winston-Salem Police Department presided over the conference.

"In 2017, law enforcement agencies from throughout North Carolina raised over $1.2 million for Special Olympics North Carolina and our goal in 2018 is to raise $1.3 million," Morgan said.

The North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics unites officers in the law enforcement field from across the state in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics North Carolina. The Torch Run efforts to raise funds include securing corporate sponsorships, collecting donations for T-shirt and hats, and hosting unique fundraising events such as Tip-A-Cop days at restaurants, polar plunges, Over the Edge, a Plane Pull and golf tournaments.

Each year, a unique T-shirt design is created for two types of shirts and made available for donations of $15 for a traditional cotton T-shirt and $20 for a tech running-style shirt. Baseball hats are also available for $15 each.

The annual North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch Run Conference was held Jan. 29 ? 31 in Atlantic Beach for law enforcement personnel to learn about the 2018 campaign and provide ideas for conducting a successful Torch Run. More than 200 people representing a wide array of law enforcement attended. The Conference was supported by the Carteret County Sheriff's Office and the Atlantic Beach Police Department.

Each summer, law enforcement officials carry the Flame of Hope across the state in the NC Torch Run Final Leg, culminating in the lighting of the cauldron to officially open the Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games in Raleigh. The 2,000-mile, 20-day Torch Run Relay involves more than 2,500 law enforcement officers and personnel representing more than 200 law enforcement agencies across North Carolina. The 2018 SONC Summer Games will be June 1-3 in Raleigh, Cary and Holly Springs with the Opening Ceremony held in NC State University's Reynolds Coliseum on Friday, June 1.

Globally, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is an annual fundraising and public education campaign conducted by law enforcement personnel that raises millions of dollars for Special Olympics in 49 countries, with the strongest support being in the United States and Canada. Since its inception in 1981, more than $619 million has been raised. Well over 97,000 law enforcement officers make the Torch Run efforts a success which helps Special Olympics fulfill its philosophy of never requiring its athletes to pay registration costs for their participation.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is officially endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriff's Association, the North Carolina Sheriff's Association, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, the National Association of School Resource Officers, NC Association of School Resource Officers, NC Department of Justice and the NC Department of Public Safety. For more information about the NCLETR, visit www.nctorchrun.com.

The top 10 Torch Run fundraising agencies for 2017 were:

1) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department - $73,774.48

2) Fayetteville Police Department - $42,335.25

3) Winston-Salem Police Department - $37,769.50

4) Chapel Hill Police Department - $33,480.84

5) Haywood County Sheriff's Office - $30,704.73

6) Raleigh Police Department - $26,714.27

7) Cumberland County Sheriff's Office - $24,658.21

8) Boone Police Department - $23,639.90

9) Kernersville Police Department - $21,580.37

10) Guilford County Sheriff's Office - $20,669.24

A full list of Torch Run agency rankings can be found here.

For more information about the Torch Run efforts in your community, contact Leslie Moyar at lmoyar@sonc.net or 919.210.0966