Police pass the torch in Special Olympics event

Photo: A.M. Sheehan

FLAME OF HOPE — Area police officers carry the torch, referred to as the Flame of Hope, during the 2012 Special Olympics Torch Run on June 6. 

AREA — Early in the morning on June 6, police officers from Bridgton to Brunswick put on their running shoes and passed the torch during the 2012 Special Olympics Torch Run.

Each year, nearly 700 members of Maine law enforcement run approximately 900 miles carrying the Flame of Hope, according to the Special Olympics website. 

Bridgton Police Officer and Torch Run Leg Leader Phil Jones said that a total of 12 departments participated in the Torch Run this year.

Those include Bridgton, Norway, Paris, Oxford, Mechanic Falls, Auburn, Lewiston, Lisbon, and Brunswick Police Departments and  Cumberland, Androscoggin and Oxford County Sheriff's deputies and jail staff.

The state, said Jones, is divided into 15 sections, or Legs. Each Leg covers a portion of the state, and the run concludes at the Special Olympics Summer State Games at Opening Ceremonies.

In Maine, runners raise funds for Special Olympics in a number of ways, in addition to the pledges obtained from the Torch Run.

Others ways include what is called Tip-A-Cop, where officers help wait on tables at local restaurants, pumping gas at local gas stations or by selling raffle tickets and Torch Run t-shirts.

In Bridgton, Jones said that a letter is sent out to the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses giving them the opportunity to sponsor the Adopt-A-Mile program.

"We give them the opportunity to sponsor a sign put up for one mile of the 60 miles we cover," which is a very popular method of fundraising throughout the state, he said.

According to Jones, Bridgton has raised roughly $2,000, beginning with the Torch Run. Jones said that a few other fundraising events have been scheduled, including Fueling Dreams, where officers volunteer at Circle-K and Irving gas stations to pump gas.

"We try to cover the populated areas," said Jones, "and the nice thing is, in years past, it's been tough for some departments to get involved, but from what I understand, every town the torch passed through was accompanied by one of their agencies."

Jones was impressed by the scope of the event. "Everybody had a hand [or leg] in it," he said. "It was a really big group effort. I thought it was pretty successful."