April 21, 2008
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

25th ANNUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN SET FOR WEDNESDAY 

They’ll be there on foot, bicycles and in marked police vehicles on Wednesday. That’s when local officers will turn out to show their support for the Florida Special Olympics as a dual Law Enforcement Torch Run makes its way across both sides of Volusia County. 

A grass-roots fundraiser for Special Olympics, the Torch Run is scheduled to get under way at 7:30 a.m. in East Volusia and 8:30 a.m. in West Volusia. Now in its 25th year, the Law Enforcement Torch Run is designed to raise community awareness about the Special Olympics. The event also generates funds for the Special Olympics through corporate donations and the sale of special commemorative items such as t-shirts, hats and pins. Part of a statewide event, law enforcement officers from more than 300 Florida agencies are scheduled to participate as the torch covers some 1,500 miles while traveling through more than 60 counties on its way to Orlando for the State Summer Games on May 16-17. Thousands of athletes, coaches, families, volunteers and sponsors are scheduled to be on-hand for the annual games, which were established to promote sports training and competition for people with developmental disabilities. 

The routes for Wednesday’s Torch Run in Volusia County are as follows: 

East Volusia:

The Torch Run will start at 7:30 a.m. at the Ormond Beach Police Department, 170 W. Granada Blvd. and end at George R. Kennedy Memorial Park on Riverside Drive in Edgewater. A ceremony is scheduled to take place at around noon at the park. 

West Volusia:

The torch run will start at 8:30 a.m. on the south side of Conrad Park on South Woodland Boulevard in DeLand, heading north on Woodland Boulevard, east on Wisconsin Avenue and then north on Kentucky Avenue, concluding at Boston Avenue School. A basketball game between students and law enforcement officers is scheduled to take place after the run is completed.