TORCH RUN A Beloved Cause

group of 20 people,” says Peterson. “They pull a plane and raise money to see who pulls the plane the fastest.”

This year’s Polar Plunge was a statewide success, garnering more than two million dollars for the Special Olympics with over 2,200 more participants registered than last year. “We’re getting more participation which is great news for our athletes,” says Peterson. “With more people comes more support and more opportunities for these athletes.”

The truck convoys are always a spectacle to behold, with companies in the Hoffman Estates, Tinley park and Troy areas raising money and sending their big rigs out to showcase on the road. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for July 22, when the great Five-O race will commence at Grundy County Speedway with old squad cars and Crown Vics ripping around the track in hot pursuit.

Aside from these larger, signature events, LETR also assists in ironing out and supporting the logistics of smaller, more local department activities for fundraising. “We just provide any resources we may have to help them out and make it more successful,” says Peterson.

One of the most exciting benchmarks, the relay of the Torch Run, will take place June

3-9 to give room for departments to schedule the best time for their own segment. “The only one that’s scheduled is the one on June 9,” says Peterson. “That’s the final leg when they run it into Bloomington-Normal and light the cauldron for opening ceremonies.”

Last year, LETR raised about 4.5 million dollars for the Special Olympics and this year, they have their sights set on raising it to 5 million in light of increased participation in the events. “Along with these events to help us, we do have partners that have sponsored us like MAP,” says Peterson. “They are a silver sponsor for us – they donated about 15,000. They are a regular and have donated for many years, so they are a good partner of ours along with helping us with publicity and getting the word out to our members.”

Not only is LETR focused on getting the best support they can out to the Special Olympics, they will also be hosting the international Torch Run Special Olympics conference the last week of October in Chicago. “We’ll have over 1000 officers and their families as well as athletes,” says Peterson. “We’ll celebrate our successes from 2022 and we hope to educate and motivate the guests to continue their efforts for years to come.”