Hello everyone, hope you will join Chris and I for the next two weeks as we travel across the country to Idaho for the journey of a life time. We will leave Oklahoma City early on the 28th of January and return home February 8th. Chris is a Special Olympics Athlete who participates in a variety of sports in the Oklahoma games and was given the honor of being one of ten that were selected from over one hundred nominations to participate in the Final Leg of the Global Torch Run for the World Winter Games. Chris and I both currently serve as members of the state wide Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee that helps plan fundraising events across Oklahoma for Special Olympics.

Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is the largest grass roots fundraiser for Special Olympics annualy, Oklahoma LETR raised over $250,000 last year with over $30 million raised globaly last year. I fisrt got involved helping my father when he started our departments first golf tournament in 1992 when I was 12, once I joined the department I became heavily involved in our fundraising efforts. I have assisted in planning the 2007 Internationl Conference in Oklahoma City which was attended by more that 1,000 officers from all over the world, cops-on-top of a doughnut shops, golf tournaments, polar plunges, tip a cops and many more functions. It is truely an honor to be selected to not only represnt my department but Oklahoma in the Final Leg. I hope you enjoy reading about our journey across Idaho.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® Final Leg for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games is made up of an international team of 142 members, which includes 95 Law Enforcement Officer runners, 10 Special Olympics athletes and support personnel, who will serve as Guardians of the Flame® as they welcome and receive the “Flame of Hope” in Idaho. To symbolize the significant contribution of law enforcement and the inclusion of Special Olympics athletes in this unified Torch Run, the Final Leg Team will conduct extensive runs and ceremonies in all of the Host Town Program communities and in many other towns throughout Idaho to heighten awareness of Special Olympics and the World Games. The Final Leg Team will safely deliver the “Flame of Hope” to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Opening Ceremony in Nampa, Idaho on February 7th.

Here is a brief overview of where the torch has been and where we will travel:

12 November 2008	Athens, Greece (official lighting ceremony)
14-15 November 2008	Abu Dhabi & Dubai,UAE
18 November 2008	Warsaw, Poland
23-25 November 2008	San Jose, Costa Rica
7 December 2008	Johannesburg, South Africa
21 December 2008	Delhi, India
10 January 2009	Shanghai, China
13 January 2009	Miami, USA
15 January 2009	New York City, USA
24 January 2009	Los Angeles, USA
28 January – 6 February 2009	Idaho, USA (Final Leg)

29 January 2009 (Route 1): Coeur d'Alene-Eastport-Bonners Ferry-Sandpoint
29 January 2009 (Route 2): Coeur d'Alene-Wallace-Osburn-Kellogg-Pinehurst

30 January 2009 (Route 1): Rathdrum-Lewiston-Moscow-Worley
30 January 2009 (Route 2): Post Falls-Lewiston-Moscow-Worley

31 January 2009 - Travel to Boise

1 February 2009 (Route 1): Burley-Rupert

2 February 2009 (Route 1): Preston-Malad-McCammon-Pocatello-Chubbuck
2 February 2009 (Route 2): Montpeiler, Soda Springs-Inkom-Pocatello-Chubbuck
2 February 2009 (Route 3): St. Anthony-Rexburg-Rigby-IdahoFalls-Shelley-Blackfoot

3 February 2009 (Route 1): Pocatello-American Falls-Kimberly-Twin Falls-Sun Valley
3 February 2009 (Route 2): Pocatello-Shoshone-Jerome-Twin Falls–Ketchum
3 February 2009 (Route 3): Pocatello--Wendell-Gooding-Twin Falls-Ketchum

4 February 2009 (Route 1): Ketchum-Sun Valley-Glenns Ferry-Mountain Home-Boise

5 February 2009 (Route 1): Parma-Caldwell-Middleton-Star
5 February 2009 (Route 2): Emmett-Weiser-Payette-Fruitland-Ontario
5 February 2009 (Route 3): McCall-Cascade-Horseshoe Bend

6 February 2009 (Route 1): Kuna-POST-Meridian City Hall-Mt. View High School-St. Lukes West- Nampa
6 February 2009 (Route 2): South Junior High School-Hawthorne Elementary School-Timberline High School-Boise High School-Washington Elementary School-Whittier Elementary School-Nampa High School
6 February 2009 (Route 3): (additional Boise schools)
7 February 2009 Opening Ceremonies in Nampa, Idaho
8 February 2009 Travel Home