Police and event supporters in Christchurch during last year's Flame of Hope relay. Photo / Supplied
Police and Special Olympics athletes from the Thames Valley club are poised for a walk that starts at the Information Hub, 101 Normandy Rd tomorrow, October 19 at 11am to support the nationwide Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).
The Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games are being
held from December 8 to 12 in Hamilton.
A contingent of New Zealand Police will walk alongside Special Olympics local athletes and carry the "Flame of Hope" today.
The flame symbolises courage, celebrates diversity, and unites communities around the globe, with over 97,000 law enforcement members carrying the Flame of Hope at events annually.
Inspector Mark Harrison, chairman of the LETR New Zealand Charitable Trust and New Zealand LETR director, says "The Flame of Hope represents courage, opportunity and equality and represents LETR's mission of engaging law enforcement worldwide to be champions for acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities."
Constable Paige Keith of Waikato Police is proud to be involved in this leg of the torch journey and says, "We are proud to be supporting an awesome event like this and we're wishing all our amazing athletes the best and hope they enjoy the games."
Special Olympics chief executive Carolyn Young is excited to see the nationwide Law Enforcement Torch Run weaving its way around the country and reaching Thames Valley this week to mark the final countdown to the National Summer Games.
"Our clubs have been building up to our pinnacle event for five years, and the LETR is a wonderful way to raise awareness around the country and to get everyone excited about the National Summer Games," says Young.
"We are very grateful to the New Zealand Police for being such a fantastic partner in this event for so many years and we hope the people of Thames Valley and the rest of the country will come out in numbers to show their support for our athletes."
The torch will be travelling through most major centres in New Zealand in the next two months.
To find out more about the Special Olympics National Summer Games visit www.SpecialOlympics.org.nz
