“Flame of Hope” carried across Walton County
For Immediate Release
April 4, 2012
On March 29, 2012, members of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), the DeFuniak Springs Police Department, The Florida Department of Corrections, The State Attorney’s Office, and Walton County Department of Corrections participated in the annual Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. Law enforcement ran side by side with Special Olympic athletes in support of a very worthy program. The first leg of the run started in Escambia County on March 26th and will end in Osceola County, with stops along the way in virtually every county in Florida.
The Torch Run, which was created in 1981 by Wichita Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon, was created as a way to bring awareness to the community about Special Olympics and to get law enforcement officers involved in the cause. According to Eugene Mims of the Florida Department of Corrections, the mission of Special Olympics Florida is to provide sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. “It gives them the continuing opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendships with their families and other Special Olympic athletes and the community.”
Investigator Wendy C Ammons
Internal Affairs Unit, Division of Professional Standards
Walton County Sheriff’s Office
752 Triple G Road
Defuniak Springs, FL 32433
850-951-4707- direct line
850-855-0299- cell
850-892-9453- fax
