Local law enforcement agencies lit up the Tidewater Area on Wednesday, June 8th with the “Flame of Hope” to spread awareness and raise funds for Special Olympics Virginia athletes.
The “Flame of Hope” began its journey through the area with Law Enforcement leaders from both Virginia Beach Police Department and Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. Lieutenant Lois Thompson from Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office assisted in coordinating the logistics of the run and said, “helping our community and athletes through education, awareness, and participation is why Special Olympics Virginia is so important to me.”
Virginia Beach agencies welcomed all community members to join in on their 5k journey from the Wegmans parking lot to the Norfolk city line on Virginia Beach Blvd. After their run, the torch was passed off to neighboring law enforcement agencies in Norfolk.
The “Flame of Hope” then began its next leg of the journey with a 1-mile run through Norfolk with members from the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Norfolk Police Department, and Old Dominion Police Department at the Harrison Opera House Parking Lot.
Law Enforcement Torch Run Regional Director Sheriff Joe Baron could not wait for the “Flame of Hope” to make its way through Norfolk. “We were all so excited to participate in the Torch Run for Special Olympics and were happy to team up with our regional partners and pass the torch between agencies. The Special Olympics is dear to our heart at the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office as we continuously strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others as far as we can reach,” said Barron.
For the last leg of this run, the torch was handed off to Portsmouth Public Safety Agencies for their 1-mile run that began at 1 High St. Portsmouth, VA, and ended at the Wawa on London St.
Before heading to Richmond, VA for the Summer Games the "Flame of Hope" will be making its way through Chesapeake with the Sheriff's Office on Thursday, June 9th. The run is open to all community members and will begin at 7:00 am at the Fun Forest parking lot at Chesapeake City Park.
