For the past four years, Bill Mills has been the top Polar Plunge fundraiser from Special Olympics London. Having plunged at in-person plunges in the past, Mills, who volunteers as a floor hockey coach, says that the virtual plunge brings with it a new challenge. “It is always a challenge to gear up to take on the cold water, but …

Aimee Buckborough, a seasoned Special Olympics Ontario athlete, is well aware of the time, commitment and effort required to excel in sport. As a gold medal swimmer at Nationals, avid golfer and softball player, Aimee has always been willing to push herself outside of her comfort zone to pursue her best.  In keeping with this mindset, Aimee decided to try …

Superintendent Mike McDonell has been greatly involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the past 30 years and he has said, “.. the greatest highlight is the small personal interactions with an athlete and their family…I get very moved and very inspired by this.”  Over the course of the past 3 decades, Mike has been a strong advocate of the …

Congratulations to Sgt. Mark McGugan from the London Police Service for being voted into the role of Regional Coordinator (Canada) for the International LETR Executive Council succeeding (Ret) Deputy Chief Rick Lucy from the Abbotsford Police Service who held the position for 8 years. Mark has been an active volunteer with the LETR in Ontario for over 33 years holding …

Clifford Trevor Priest passed away in his 63rd year on July 22, 2021 after an illness with family by his side. Cliff was the President of the Niagara Region Police Association and a strong supporter of Special Olympics both before and during his tenure as President. He often referred to Special Olympics as the policing member’s charity as there was …

The Ontario Virtual Torch Run (OVTR) happened to be Niagara Regional Police’s, Divya Bhagria’s first-ever event with Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR). “I saw internal emails being sent out from our Niagara LETR team to the service about Torch Run and Special Olympics Ontario,” said Divya. She continued, “I decided to open the email, which led me to the LETR …

Special Olympics Ontario (SOO) and the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics (OLETR) are mourning the heartbreaking loss of Cst. Jeffrey Northrup of the Toronto Police Service (TPS).  Cst. Northrup was not only a supporter of the many Torch Run events that TPS organizes, but also a great contributor to the success of the Special Olympics Brampton community.  His …

Bill Dickson first joined the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 2001 as an Issues Coordinator/Information Officer at the East Region Headquarters in Smiths Falls. Shortly after, Bill was asked to take on the role of a Route Coordinator for the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) in the Ottawa Valley. To this day, Bill will be the one to tell you that at his first Final Leg …

Jim Chauvin’s first Torch Run was in 2000 and after meeting some of the athletes he was supporting at the event, he was hooked.  “From there, I was asked to be the LETR representative for our town, and I haven’t looked back since!”  Chauvin has gone on to hold a role on the Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run (OLETR) Operations …

Sarah Bamford’s first exposure to Special Olympics (SO) was in a coaching role.  In the late 1990s, Bamford had the opportunity to start her SO journey by coaching athletes in Figure Skating.  This included two athletes who competed at the 1996 National Winter Games and 1997 World Winter Games.  “The experience of working with athletes was one of many driving forces …