Participants in the annual Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Special Olympics Torch Run gathered on the steps of the new facility at the Training Center on Old Prater’s Mill Road. Runners from the Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department, and Department of Juvenile Justice took part in the fundraiser for State Special Olympics on May 10, including (from left, front row) Amber Hayes, Isabelle Beltran, and Allen Gallman; (second row) Brittany Martin, Susan Edgeworth, Jason Phillips, and Amy Phillips; (third row) Jewell Jackson, Sheila Caldwell, Ambur Gibson, and Tammy Silvers; (back row) Wayne Mathis, Lisa Hughey, John Jancewicz, Marcia Pfister, Chris West, Darlene Crider, Nathan Center, Albert Hill, and Ron Kirby.
photo by Mitch Talley
Students and teachers cheer for the Special Olympics Torch Run participants as they pass through the driveway at Varnell Elementary School
photo by Mitch Talley
Students and teachers cheer for the Special Olympics Torch Run participants as they pass through the driveway at Varnell Elementary School
photo by Mitch Talley
Lt. Wayne Mathis of the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office (second from right) marked his 30th Special Olympics Torch Run this year, still the only person in Georgia to have participated in all 30
photo by Mitch Talley
Jewell Jackson of the Department of Juvenile Justice is all smiles as she runs past students at Varnell Elementary School during the Special Olympics Torch Run
photo by Mitch Talley
The annual Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Special Olympics Torch Run on May 10 featured some new twists this year, but the end goal remained the same.
“It’s all about the kids,” said Lt. Wayne Mathis, who is the only person in Georgia to have run in all 30 Torch Runs and even took part three times before that in a Special Olympics event sponsored by Sam’s Club in which senior citizens drove campers.
This year, Mr. Mathis joined 17 other men and women from the Sheriff’s Office, Whitfield County Fire Department, and Department of Juvenile Justice (District 1) in the Torch Run.
After departing from the old jail downtown for years, this time the runners left from the Whitfield County Training Center on Old Prater’s Mill Road, just outside the new building that was having sod and bushes installed on the morning of the run.
The new nine-mile route led the runners west on Old Prater’s Mill Road onto Cleveland Highway and then Ga. 2, where they made a left turn into Varnell Elementary School. Hundreds of youngsters and teachers lined both sides of the driveway into the school, exchanging cheers and high fives with the runners, who took a water break before heading back onto Ga. 2 on their way to more cheers at Beaverdale Elementary and ending the day at the Murray County line.
The mission of Special Olympics Georgia is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
Special Olympics Georgia hosted its annual State Summer Games for almost 3,000 athletes, coaches, and unified partners on May 19-21 at Emory University. Athletes will compete in aquatics, athletics, flag football, gymnastics, soccer, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball, with medals awarded throughout the weekend.
Leading up to the games, law enforcement officers from agencies all over Georgia teamed up with SOGA in a 1,000-mile torch relay across the state. The “Flame of Hope” lit the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony to signify the opening of the games.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, the largest grassroots fundraising program for the cause, began in 1981 when Wichita, Kan., Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for and increase awareness of Special Olympics.
The idea for the Torch 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 years of successful runs 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. Today, all 50 states and more than 40 countries have their own versions of the Torch Run.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest annual fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Georgia. This signature event plays a significant role in Special Olympics Georgia’s annual budget.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office continues to offer Special Olympics Torch Run T-shirts and caps for sale. If you’d like to make a contribution or a purchase, contact Sgt. Tammy Silvers at the Sheriff’s Office at 706-279-1879.