March 28, 2024

Special Olympics Torch Run in Newton Wednesday

Jasper County law enforcement will participate in the annual Iowa Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run in Newton on Wednesday.

The run will begin at 9 a.m. at Casey’s General Store on Iowa Speedway Drive. Participants will run west along First Avenue and stop at the Jasper County Courthouse. Runners will meet with local Olympians on the courthouse lawn and have a brief ceremony. Following the courthouse stop, the run will continue along First Avenue to its final destination at Westwood Golf Course.

Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Aldrich said an invitation has been extended to the Newton Community Schools this year to try to involve students as well as adults in the ceremony.

Aldrich has been working with Dalton Mindham of the Newton Correctional Facility to organize the event. Runners will be from the Newton Police Department, Jasper County Sheriff and Newton Correctional Facility.

The run is part of a statewide event in the lead up to the 2019 Special Olympics Iowa Summer Games, May 23-25 at Iowa State University in Ames. Locally, Aldrich said the event is a way for law enforcement to recognize the athletes and fundraise for them through T-shirt sales. Mindham echoed Aldrich’s sentiments, believing the run helps support a worthy cause.

“It truly is a joy to be a part of this as a support crew for the Special Olympics, we get to meet some great people in doing so. It is also a luxury to intermingle multiple different agencies to be apart of a single cause,” Mindham said.

According to Law Enforcement Torch Run Marketing and Event Manager for Special Olympics Iowa Rachel Bosworth, the event is the largest fundraising event.

“Throughout the year, law enforcement from all over fundraise and advocate for Special Olympic athletes. The run symbolizes the guardians of the flame kicking off Special Olympics events,” Bosworth said.

The torch run event began in Kansas in 1981 and has grown into an international movement. In total, the effort has raised more that $600 million for Special Olympics all over the world. In Iowa, more than $850,000 is raised annually from the Law Enforcement Torch Run program.

“Engaging local law enforcement in Special Olympics allows them to feel connected to the mission. It gives them a sense of pride and joy, knowing that they are directly impacting Special Olympic athletes,” Bosworth said.

For more information about the Special Olympics of Iowa and the schedule for this year's summer games, visit www.soiowa.org.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com