BENSON POLICE DEPARTMENT
303 EAST CHURCH STREET
BENSON, NC 27504
TELEPHONE 919-894-3616 FAX 919-207-1993
- - -PRESS RELEASE- - -
May 24, 2007
BENSON POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN
21st ANNUAL TORCH RUN FOR NC SPECIAL OLYMPICS
On May 30th, 2007, officers from the Benson Police Department will join with other local and state agencies in participating in the 21st Annual NC Torch Run. This will be the 10th year the Police Department has joined in this event.
Every summer, law enforcement officials carry the "FLAME OF HOPE" across the state in The Torch Run Final Leg, which culminates at the Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games in Raleigh, when a cauldron is lit to officially open the Games. The 2,000-mile, 16-day Torch Run Relay involves more than 4,000 law enforcement officers and personnel, representing more than 400 law enforcement agencies across North Carolina. Its purpose is to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics North Carolina, by uniting officers from law enforcement agencies and corrections departments across the state in fundraising efforts. In 2006, the NC Torch Run raised over $1,000,000 for Special Olympics programs in North Carolina.
The "Flame of Hope" is scheduled to arrive in Benson at 5:30 PM on May 30th, and Benson officers will relay it through town, before handing it off to the Johnston County Sheriff's Department. The route will be as follows:
Torch arrives at Harnett/Johnston County line on Hwy. 301 South.
Torch is carried on Hwy. 301, to Main Street.
Torch is carried on Main Street, to N. Johnson Street.
Torch is carried on N. Johnson Street, to Church Street
Torch is carried on Church Street, to Hwy. 301.
Torch is carried on Hwy. 301, to Benson Middle School.
For more information regarding this event, to participate in the Torch Run, or to make a donation, contact Officer Glenn Fipps at 919-894-2091.