South County Sheriff’s deputies, Gilroy police and the area’s
highway patrolmen will sprint through town bearing a Special
Olympics Torch, part of a week-long ceremony to kick off a Berkeley
event for athletes with developmental disabilities.
Gilroy – South County Sheriff’s deputies, Gilroy police and the area’s highway patrolmen will sprint through town bearing a Special Olympics Torch, part of a week-long ceremony to kick off a Berkeley event for athletes with developmental disabilities.
“It’s a public awareness tool,” said Andrea Schofield, spokesperson for Special Olympics Northern California. “It mimics the actual Olympics, and it leads up to the opening ceremonies of our summer games.”
One torch reaches Gilroy Tuesday, June 5. CHP officers from the agency’s Hollister-Gilroy office will hand off the torch to Gilroy police, who will carry it from the Motel 6 on Monterey Road north to Rucker Avenue, where Sheriff’s deputies will pick it up and carry it onward to Middle Avenue, to give to Morgan Hill police.
Law enforcement agencies such as Chili’s and Applebee’s.
Officer Felix Figueroa is coordinating Gilroy police volunteers, including records technicians and community service officers, and said community support is welcome.
The runners will be followed by chase cars with lights, to draw more attention to the run.
“If people have the time,” he said, “it’d be nice to have them cheering us out there.”
The torch run has taken place since 1981, Schofield said. Torches run through countries ranging from Ireland to Guatemala.
In Northern California, torches from four different regions will converge in Berkeley Friday, June 8 for the summer games, the highest-profile summer athletic event held by Special Olympics in the region.
