Lima Rotary Club hosts Torch Run.
For the second straight year, Lima Rotary Club used its regular meeting time to host the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.
This year, Abby Conley carried the torch. She will participate in the national Special Olympics in July in Seattle. Local law enforcement escort Special Olympics torch run participants through various communities.
Known as Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the “Flame of Hope” into Opening Ceremonies of local competitions. They also carry it into Special Olympics State, Provincial, National, Regional and World Games. There are over 97,000 law enforcement members that carry the “Flame of Hope” annually.
The partnership dates back to 1981. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) decided to endorse Torch Run and became the “Founding Law Enforcement Organization,” in 1983. With the IACP’s support, LETR became the movement's largest public awareness and fundraising group for Special Olympics.
Before the meeting, torch runners brought the torch into Town Square under a United States flag hung on fire trucks, with Rotarians cheering them on.
It was a day of service for Rotary, as the club also hosted an American Red Cross blood drive at the Civic Center.
