Logan County Braves athlete Jon Thornton and Bellefontaine Fire Department firefighter Josh Shoemaker carry the torch together Tuesday morning along west Sandusky Avenue for the Logan County leg of the 2023 Law Enforcement Torch Run. Also pictured at the left is Logan County Braves coordinator Rose Canter. Bellefontaine Police Detective Tanner Peterson, running next to Shoemaker, also helped to coordinate the activities. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TONY BARRETT)
Community support was in strong showing Tuesday morning, June 20, as about 14 Logan County Braves Special Olympics athletes were accompanied by 17 local law enforcement officers running a 1.9 mile route on a special mission.
They were tasked with carrying the torch for the Logan County leg of the 2023 Law Enforcement Torch Run, which takes place around the state this week, culminating Friday, June 23. Nine other routes will take place around Southwest Ohio, as part of 70 total routes covering 176 miles in the state.
On the final leg of the journey Friday, the torch will leave the Ohio State Highway Training Patrol Academy and end at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University for the Special Olympics Ohio Summer Games Opening Ceremonies.
Tuesday, friends and family members cheered for the local runners as they left the Bellefontaine Police Department and Fire Department, heading for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office along County Road 32.
En route to the sheriff’s office, runners were led by Ohio State Highway Patrol cruisers and flanked by BPD and LCSO cruisers at the rear along west Sandusky Avenue.
Motorists waved and honked their horns in support, and employees from businesses along the route also stepped outside to offer their encouragement, including a large contingent of staff members at AGC, who waved flags for the athletes.
Logan County Braves coordinator Rose Canter said during the next week, five Logan County Braves athletes will be headed to the state games in Columbus to compete in bowling and track and field.
“Today was a special day for our Special Olympics athletes to participate right along with our law enforcement officers, working together, hand-in-hand, to carry the torch,” she said, noting that the last time torch run passed through Logan County was in 2020 on a route traversing from RTC Industries to the Logan County Courthouse.
“It’s such a fun and rewarding experience for everyone involved.”
Participating agencies on the Logan County leg included the Bellefontaine Police Department, Bellefontaine Fire Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, troopers from the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Wapakoneta Police Department, along with nurses from Mary Rutan Hospital.
“We really appreciate everyone who came out today; it was a large group and such an outpouring of support from the community,” said Bellefontaine Police Department Detective Tanner Peterson, who helped to coordinate the activities alongside Canter and Kennon Coleman, Southwest Region director for the torch run.
Detective Peterson was joined with his wife Chelsea on the run, and they enjoyed running alongside Tanner’s cousin, Special Olympics athlete Katie Peterson.
While helping with the official send-off, previous Southwest District coordinator, Springfield Police Department Detective Sandy Fent, said she has been involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run now for 27 years.
“I’ve seen some of the most hardened officers really be moved by participating in the Torch Run. It’s a good thing for us to do; it helps to soften us up,” she said. “It helps to bring a positive light to law enforcement.”
Leading activities this year and joining Detective Fent was Sgt. Kennon Coleman from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. He’s been involved in the program now for nine years, and this first year as the Southwest Region director.
Sgt. Coleman said the Law Enforcement Torch Run is celebrating its 42nd year after its start in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas. It has spread to 45 different countries since then as one of the largest grassroots efforts in the world.
“We’re celebrating the inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities, both on and off the playing field. The law enforcement community is advancing the inclusion revolution here in Ohio, across the U.S. and throughout the world.”
Statewide proceeds provide funding for 20,000 Special Olympics Ohio athletes to provide year-round sports opportunities, health education and leadership programs, with a goal of raising $80,000 this year. Statewide totals so far, as of Tuesday afternoon, were $75,100, and additional donations can be made at OhioTorchRun.org.
AGC employees wave flags Tuesday in support of the participants in the 2023 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Ohio. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TONY BARRETT)