The Flame of Hope torch, carried by local law enforcement officers as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, will pass through Lane County on Wednesday, July 6, with law enforcement and Navy and Marine personnel carrying the Special Olympics Torch through Oregon to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. The Lane County leg of the Torch Run will be run by members of the Eugene Police Department and Springfield Police Department, along with Special Olympic Athletes.
Eugene Police participants will receive the torch from Springfield Police in front of the Juvenile Justice Center, 2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. They will run the torch to Valley River Center, taking the route Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to Club Road to Country Club / Willagillespie Road. Special Olympic athletes will join the group for the last 0.8 miles of the run to Valley River Center, arriving at VRC around noon. Members of the Eugene Police SWAT and motorcycle teams with various equipment items on display will be available for athletes and the media at Valley River Center, before heading off to meet Junction City Police at Hwy. 99 and Hwy. 36. The torch will be picked up by Corvallis Police at the Junction City Police Department for their leg of the run. The Torch Run will end at Newberg High School Stadium in Newberg.
Eugene Police employees and Oregon law enforcement agencies together raise thousands of dollars each year for Special Olympics Oregon and the Law Enforcement Torch Run is the Special Olympics largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle.