Taking the cause in stride
The Law Enforcement Torch Run celebrates 35 years
of unifi ed support for Special Olympics New Jersey
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
The Flame of Hope was first lit at 3 a.m. in Liberty State Park,
Jersey City. It was 1984, and the 30 law enforcement officers who
gathered had no idea how long it would take them to travel on
foot to Rutgers Stadium in New Brunswick. All they knew was
that it was imperative that they arrive on time for the opening
ceremony of the Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games.
So, they began hours before sunrise. The torch lit the way as
the group of officers from Port Authority, Newark, Jersey City
and Middletown ran the flame through the city streets. The blar-
ing sirens from the support vehicles woke residents and sum-
moned faces to peek curiously out their windows. Some even
called the police. The onlookers were unable to make sense of
the scene: the sirens, the joggers and the single flame that led
the way.
Little did the people know that they were witnessing the trail-
blazers of the first Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of
Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ). Robert Belfiore was one of
the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Local 116 members
who ran the distance. At the time, he had no idea that the group
was setting the pace for a campaign that would continue for de-
cades and raise millions of dollars.
“We had no idea what to expect,” Belfiore admits. “We knew
nothing about running, but that first run was a lot of fun.”
The founding fathers of the Law Enforcement Torch Run ar-
rived at Rutgers at 11 a.m., eight hours early for the opening
ceremony. They posted up in front of the empty stadium, nap-
ping on benches and going out to lunch to pass the time. When
the opening ceremony finally began, the officers resumed their
mission and jogged with the Flame of Hope into the event for
the first time to present a $7,000 donation.
Since then, Belfiore has watched the torch pass from hand to
helping hand as NJ State PBA Locals from across the state joined
the voyage to fundraise and advocate for a cause that ignited a
passion for law enforcement officers.
“Each year we would make a little more,” notes Belfiore, who
has been the Director of the Law Enforcement Torch Run since
1987. “Every year we would think we topped out on (fundrais-
ing), but then we’d make more and go further. Instead of a job
that was a couple of months during the year, it became 24/7,
365 days a year.”
This past June 8, thousands of officers ran through their com-
munities for the 35th Annual Torch Run for SONJ. The Flame of
Hope traveled along each of the now 26 legs of the run, covering
750 miles as law enforcement once again stopped traffic and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 46
Verona Local 72 support vehicles stop traffi c as members carry the Flame
of Hope through town toward the Special Olympics New Jersey opening
ceremony. (Photo by Ed Carattini Jr.)
Members of Dunellen Local 146 show that nothing holds law enforcement
back from supporting a good cause, as they weather the elements of the
2013 Torch Run.
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ JULY 2018 45