Police run torch for Special Olympics this week all across Vermont
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Police, athletes, and members of the military will be running for a cause throughout Vermont for the next four days.
The annual Law Enforcement Torch Run in Vermont will be held this week, from June 3 through 6. Members of the law enforcement community will be carrying the Flame of Hope, the Special Olympics' equivalent to the Olympic Torch, from the four corners of the state all the way to St. Michael's College in Winooski. It is the largest community fundraiser for the Special Olympics organization, which holds the Special Olympics World Games every two years.
The torch run will be followed by the annual Special Olympics Vermont Summer Games on June 6 and 7. This year will feature two sports, bocce ball and basketball, with hundreds of athletes joining in.
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The event will start in four places simultaneously: in Derby Line and Highgate Springs in northern Vermont, and in Brattleboro and Bennington in southern Vermont. Four torches will be carried separately Tuesday through Thursday, before joining together for two final legs on Friday from Essex Junction to St. Michael's College.
Lake Champlain will also get to feature in the event, as one of the four torches will be carried by the Colchester Boating Unit and U.S. Coast Guard over the water from Bayside Beach in Colchester over to Burlington.
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According to the Special Olympics Vermont website, the event brings together more than 91,000 law enforcement officers from 46 countries each year as 'part of a global movement that works year-round to foster inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities by using the power of sport.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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