Members of the law enforcement community of Lea County are pledging their enthusiastic support to assist Special Olympians in New Mexico. This year, the first annual Law Enforcement Torch Run will be held in Lea County, combined with a family festival flair. All of the proceeds from the run will be donated to the Special Olympics of New Mexico.
The May 8th event begins at 9 a.m. at Green Meadows Lake in Hobbs, with registration for the run opening at 8 a.m. Along with the 5k run, for which the community can donate funds in support of their favorite participating law enforcement officer, the festival will include dunk booths, firefighter water polo, raffles, a barbecue (featuring pork sandwiches and pork nachos), discounted Krispy Kreme donuts, smaller running events, and more. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Special Olympics of New Mexico.
Police Departments in Hobbs, Tatum, Lovington, Eunice, and Jal are participating, along with the State Police and the Sheriff’s Department of Lea County.
For more information about the Lea County Law Enforcement Torch Run event or how to contribute as a business, call 575-397-9394.
In addition to the festivities surrounding the local torch run, the law enforcement of New Mexico itself is going a step further to support Special Olympics in the state. Ben Sanchez, the state director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in the state and a member of Rio Rancho police department, will be leading the Final Leg Runners in the 2022 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Russia. Fellow Rio Rancho officer Brittany Mahnesmith will also be participating in the final leg run.
The final leg consists of 100 runners (all members of law enforcement) from 24 countries, each of whom will be participating in the Blue Lake Leap event (consisting of a polar plunge in Kazak, Russia). The fundraising event is dedicated to Special Olympics programs throughout the world while those given in support of Ben Sanchez and Brittany Mahnesmith will be for local programs (click on the individual names to make a donation).
