Torch-bearers for Special Olympics

Photo by Lisa Pezzolla Members of the Kearny Police Department running on Kearny Ave. last week in support of Special Olympics New Jersey. Lt. John Gouveia is holding the Olympic torch.

KEARNY –
On Friday, Kearny’s Finest were among more than 3,000 law enforcement officers who took part in the 28th annual Torch Run for Special Olympics New Jersey.
Torches were lit at 4:45 a.m. in communities all around the state from the northern border to Cape May and then carried mile by mile along more than two dozen routes spanning some 300 communities and ending at the College of New Jersey in Ewing at 7:30 p.m.
At the college‘s Lions Stadium, torch bearers from each county, accompanied by county police honor guards, greeted the Special Olympics athletes as they marched in, lit the final torch and then the cauldron, signaling the opening of the 2011 Summer Games.

Over the weekend, 2,300 Special Olympians participated in the events, including aquatics, bocce, gymnastics, powerlifting, softball, tennis, and track & field. (Overall in N.J., there are some 22,000 Special Olympics athletes.)

To read the full story, see this week’s issue of The Observer.

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