Cody Law Enforcement and WYOld West Brewing Hold Events to Support Special Olympics Wyoming
Written by Caleb Nelson on April 28, 2022
This Friday, April 29th, 2022, area law enforcement officers will hold the Law Enforcement Torch Run to support Special Olympics Wyoming. The run is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. near Walgreens (1585 Sheridan Ave).
Local law enforcement will carry the “Flame of Hope” over to the Opening Ceremonies at the Cody High School track.
Route of Law Enforcement Torch Run
Opening Ceremonies start at 9:00 a.m. and will feature a parade of athletes from Area 1 – Northwest Wyoming (Cody, Powell, Lovell, Big Horn County, Lander, Riverton, Thermopolis, Worland, Ft. Washakie).
Once the torch runners reach the stadium carrying the Flame of Hope, the Games will be declared “Officially Open!”
The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is one of the largest public awareness events and grass-roots fundraisers for the Special Olympics. Known honorably as the Guardians of the Flame, more than “100,000” law enforcement members carry the Flame of Hope annually. According to officials, the Flame of Hope symbolizes, “courage and celebration of diversity united communities around the globe.”
In 2019, for example, LETR raised $60,624,609 world-wide for Special Olympics.
Athletes are never charged to participate in the Special Olympics. Funds raised through programs like LETR help cover the cost of things like uniforms, facility rentals, transportation, and lodging.
Additionally, this May, WYOld West Brewing Company is holding two events to support Special Olympics Wyoming (SOWY). One event will be held at Powell Brewing Company on May 12th, and one will be held on May 21st at the Cody Taproom.
Powell Brewing Company (May 12th, 2022):
- Purchase a beer for $5.00
- $3.00 will benefit SOWY
Cody Taproom (May 21st, 2022):
- 20% off Pour Your Own beer
- 60% of the proceeds will benefit SOWY
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Summer Games, June 5th-11th, are set to be held in Orlando, Florida. Participants will include over two thousand registered athletes and Unified Sports partners as well as over four hundred coaches. Official Sports for the Summer Games include Equestrian, Aquatics, Bowling, Football, Soccer, Golf, Softball, Baseball, Cycling, and Tennis—to name a few.
SOWY offers a year-round program of sports and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In Wyoming, “more than 1,600 athletes take part in the program that involves the services of more than 1,000 volunteers” SOWY says.
In 1972, Wyoming became involved in the Special Olympics when the first Special Olympics Summer Games took place at Natrona County High School in Casper, WY. Six years later, the first Winter Games were held in Jackson in 1978.
As a registered non-profit corporation 501(c)(3), Special Olympics Wyoming serves a Board of Directors who provide direction and oversight to a small professional staff responsible for managing the efforts of volunteers, which makes these programs and events possible. Across the state, SOWY holds five events annually.
