Over 100 local police officers, firefighters, community members and Special Olympic athletes gathered in the Archer Road Publix parking lot on Wednesday evening to participate in the Alachua County Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR).
The annual event raising money for Special Olympics Florida started at the Butler Plaza West Publix and traveled just over one mile to the Celebration Pointe finish line, which featured a dance party from Tú Fiesta Radio.
Participants, referred to as “Guardians of the Flame,” took turns carrying the lit, metal Flame of Hope torch and an LETR flag during the event, which raised around $5,000 for Special Olympics.
“There’s so much joy in this,” said Chris Sims of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. “It doesn’t matter who you are…we’re all here for one common goal, one common mission to support the Olympians. If you’ve never spent time with any of these Olympians, you don’t know real joy.”
The local LETR run was just one of many taking place across the world. Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon created the run in 1981 as a way to engage law enforcement with their communities and to support Special Olympics Kansas.
After the International Association of Chiefs of Police officially endorsed the event in 1983, LETR has since become Special Olympics’ largest public awareness and fundraising event with over 97,000 law enforcement officers participating annually and $600 million raised.
LETR has also added additional events, such as Cop on Top, Plane Pull, Polar Plunge, Tip-A-Cop and Truck Convoy, to fundraise for the Special Olympics.
“What started in 1981…as a flicker of hope for Special Olympics has now become a roaring flame of stability for Special Olympics athletes worldwide,” LaMunyon said in a press release.
In Florida, beginning on March 10, over 5,000 law enforcement officers from more than 300 agencies carry the Flame of Hope through all 67 counties. The torch’s journey culminates on May 16 when it’s delivered on the Final Leg to Special Olympics Florida’s State Summer Games at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports.
In her first year running in the event, Alachua County resident Sydney Winningham carried the torch for a stretch. She said she participated because her father is a fire chief and her mother helps kids with autism.
“[The torch] was kind of heavy,” she said. “But it is really fun.”
Jordyn Zyngier is a basketball, volleyball and football coach for the Special Olympics’ Unified Sports program, who also participated in Wednesday’s LETR.
She said that as a kid, she first got involved with Unified Sports, which pairs athletes with and without disabilities on the same teams, because her best friend was on the spectrum for autism. Since then, Zyngier has run torch runs in multiple states, and her Special Olympics team recently qualified for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Whether people are interested in competing, coaching or just volunteering with Special Olympics, Zyngier said there’s something for everyone to get involved in. She said the most rewarding part is seeing all types of people come together.
“In Unifed specifically, they really push inclusion,” she said. “Being a coach, I get to see relationships build between our athletes and other individuals, members of the community.”
