Members of the Vancouver Police Department raised over $34,000 in donations to help send 34 athletes to the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games held in Vancouver this past July.

Police and Special Olympics BC (SOBC)athletes maintain a long-standing relationship of respect and support as competitors with intellectual disabilities strive to achieve their personal best, while inspiring others to reach for their goals.

Since 2011, the VPD’s civilian and sworn staff have raised over $140,000 for SOBC, and continue to support Special Olympics athletes through the BC law Enforcement Torch Run and by volunteering at Special Olympics events.

Retired VPD Superintendent Dean Robinson
Remarks

As a retired officer, it is my honour to be representing the Vancouver Police Department and the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Throughout my career, and to this day, I am often asked about the most exciting and memorable things I was involved in. As you can imagine, 34 years in policing will expose you to many exciting and wonderful experiences, and for me most seem to run together, with only a few standing out from the rest.

Having said that, there is one topic that springs to mind in every instance, and that is Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Special Olympics. I found policing to be an incredibly rewarding career, but the strongest and most enduring reward came from, and still comes from, my involvement with Special Olympics and Torch Run.

When asked where the reward comes from, I answer that it comes in part from both those entities — almost entirely from the contact with the extraordinary people who are the athletes of Special Olympics and who the Law Enforcement Torch Run is designed to support.

These athletes are unwavering and relentless in their commitment to many things, including their pursuit of excellence in their chosen sport, being committed to each other as team mates or competitors, in fair play, being committed to Special Olympics, and, perhaps most importantly, to being great citizens.

In a sporting sense, when it comes to effort and an attempt to master their sport, the athletes always give it all they have and leave nothing on the table.

As they are in athletics, they tend to be in life. When it comes to showing gratitude or expressing appreciation for being supported, again, they leave nothing on the table and they give it all they have.

Those of us in who are involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run and who make a small sacrifice of either time and/or cash in support of Special Olympics programming, often find ourselves being treated by the athletes like celebrities and rock stars.

We are greeted with wide and beaming smiles, strong pumping handshakes, fist bumps, high-fives and even warm hugs. This is the reward from the athletes — it is immediate, enduring and above all fulfilling. It is the hook that anchors those of us involved in Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and keeps us coming back for more.

The relationship between law enforcement and Special Olympics began in 1981, in Wichita, Kansas, by Police Chief Richard LaMunyon. Chief LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for, and increase awareness of, Special Olympics. He proposed the idea of police officers running in support of Special Olympics athletes, while raising financial contributions from fellow police officers, private individuals, and the business community.

From this modest beginning, the Law Enforcement Torch Run is now the Special Olympics movement’s largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle in the world, with officers in 46 countries, raising more than $50 million a year.

The BC Law Enforcement Torch Run is one of many successful programs in Canada. Over the years, they have raised in excess of $3 million for Special Olympics BC and have helped to increase the athlete base to 4,300 registered athletes in 57 different communities throughout the province.

I want to thank the many members of the VPD who have contributed so generously this year to Special Olympics BC through the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Each year, we ask the VPD family for support and this year the members of the Department, sworn and civilian, reached deep into their pockets and their overtime banks and donated more than $34,500 dollars to send 34 athletes to the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games.

Furthermore, I want to thank the many police officers and civilians who donated their time to participate in the Opening Ceremony, provided security for the Games, and took part in the final leg leading up to the Games. I can confidently say that your contributions went a long way in helping many athletes realize their dreams and potential.