BEVERLY HILLS—The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics will be taking place starting at 4 p.m. on July 22 at the Beverly Hills Fire Station 1 on 455 North Rexford Drive. Officers and Special Olympics athletes of the Final Leg Team will be participating in the run. The athletes will be taking the Flame of Hope to the opening ceremony. This flame has been lit in Athens, Greece and transported overseas to be used in the torch run.

Torch Run. Photo Courtesy la2015.org
Torch Run. Photo courtesy la2015.org.

The LETR is a fundraising campaign that benefits the Special Olympics. It consists of local law enforcement including police officers and volunteers. The Special Olympics will offer over 32 sports including aquatics, badminton, basketball, bowling, and sailing. The Special Olympics World Summer Games will be taking place in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2. It is an international sports organization for individuals with disabilities. The world games take place every two years, with the next world games in 2017 in Graz and Schladming, Australia. The Special Olympics started off as a day camp in Potomac, Maryland in 1962. Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver wanted children with disabilities to have a place to play. 53 years later, 4.4 million athletes of 170 countries participate in events of the Special Olympics.