Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from across Northern California gathered recently for the 2018 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Northern California (LETR) Kickoff Conference in Livermore.
The annual conference serves as a celebration of the previous year’s accomplishments and as a resource for fundraising and raising awareness for Special Olympics in the year to come. Founded in 1981, LETR is the largest grassroots fundraising platform for Special Olympics and has raised more than $600 million for the organization worldwide – including more than $12 million in Northern California since 1996.
Highlights from the conference included introductions and overviews of Special Olympics and LETR; breakout sessions covering social media, fundraising events, and other topics; tributes to California Highway Patrol (CHP) and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for their dedication to SONC; and guest speakers including SONC athlete Trevor; SONC President and CEO David Solo; Dan Winter, assistant chief of police for Santa Clara and Torch Run state director for SONC; Robert Woolsey, operations lieutenant and acting chief of the Las Vegas Marshals Office and LETR Region VII communications coordinator; Dr. Diane Toche, undersecretary of health care services for the CDCR; Darlene Hong of the San Francisco Police Credit Union and her son, SONC athlete Terence; Chief Michael Harris of the Livermore Police Department; and Chaplain Bill Archer of the Livermore Police Department, among others.
Also featured during the conference was a Unified Basketball Game comprised of Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement personnel competing together on the same court. The game, which has turned into an annual favorite, served as a celebration of inclusion and showcased the unbreakable bond between SONC athletes and LETR.
To conclude the event, awards were presented for the top fundraisers in 2017 in a variety of categories. Thank you and congratulations to the following, listed in order of recognition.
Top Fundraising Agencies – CHP
CHP – Santa Cruz
CHP – Redding
CHP – Visalia
CHP – San Jose
CHP – Fresno
Top Fundraising Agencies – CDCR
CDCR – Deuel Vocational Institution
CDCR – Mule Creek State Prison
CDCR – Sacramento State Prison
CDCR – Solano State Prison
CDCR – Folsom State Prison
Top Fundraising Agencies – Police Departments
Santa Clara Police Department
San Jose Police Department
Oakland Police Department
Fremont Police Department
San Francisco Police Department
Top Fundraising Agencies – Sheriff’s Offices
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
Top Fundraising Agencies – Law Enforcement
Monterey County Probation Department
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Jerry & Theresa Dominguez
Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety
Central Marin Police Authority