“It’s a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. We have a great partnership with that agency and that organization, and we get together all of the law enforcement, PD included. And we do a seven-mile trek, across our city lines,” said Brandi Lazare, sergeant of community engagement with the Roanoke Sheriffs Department. With help from a Virginia State Police motorcade, two special Olympians from Southwest Virginia passed the torch to each other as they ran those miles. The officers involved believe this run serves as a larger opportunity to raise awareness of the Special Olympics in Virginia and support inclusion across the state.
“Making sure that we show a unified front and support of the Special Olympians as well as for our community, so that they understand that all of our law enforcement, regardless of if we’re the sheriff’s office, police department, or state police, that we all come together for a good cause and we really enjoy doing the torch run,” said Lazare.
This year’s run may be over now, but there’s still time to help Special Olympics Virginia reach its donation goal online…