- Hawaii Police Department - https://www.hawaiipolice.com -

Torch Run 2 04/05/99

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
349 KAPIOLANI STREET
HILO, HAWAII 96720
TELEPHONE 961-2346
APRIL 5, 1999

MEDIA RELEASE

The 1999 First Hawaiian Bank Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run will be held next Saturday (April 10, 1999) in Kona and Saturday, April 17, in Hilo to help raise funds for the Hawaii Special Olympics.

Big Island police officers, joined by various law enforcement agencies, will hold the run and a walk to benefit the annual Special Olympics games, to be held after the Hilo walk and run at Hilo High School.

The public is invited to participate in both events.

In Kona, a two-mile run will start at 8 a.m. next Saturday at the Old Kona Airport Park, proceed down Alii Drive through town to the Hale Halawai and return along the same route to the park.

In Hilo, the 2.3-mile torch run and a one-mile walk will be held at 8 a.m. April 17, just before the Special Olympics games begin at 9 a.m.

The torch run will start at the Hilo Police Station and go through downtown Hilo. The route will go down Kapiolani and Hualalai Streets, proceed down Pauahi Street, turn left on Kamehameha Avenue and then go up Waianuenue Avenue to the high school.

The walk will also begin at the station, but will take a more direct route along Kapiolani Street to the school.

Once at the school, the entire group will conduct a one-lap jog around the high school track. The torch will then be passed to a Special Olympics athlete to signal the start of the games. A short ceremony will follow.

Hawaii law enforcement personnel have been carrying the “flame of hope” throughout the islands since 1987, so far raising more than a half-million dollars. Last year, the Hawaii County Police Department raised more than $3,360 for the Hawaii Special Olympics. Statewide, more than $50,000 was raised for the event.

Entry fees for the run and walk are $20, which entitles runners to a Torch-Run T-shirt or tank top. Registration forms may be picked up at the police Records Section in Hilo, at the Kona police station or at the Hilo Shopping Center, Kamehameha or Pahoa branches of First Hawaiian Bank. Non-participants who want to contribute to the Special Olympics may purchase the shirts at the same price.

Police officers throughout the world take part in the annual event. In Hawaii, it is named in honor of Troy Barboza, a Honolulu police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1987 and who had devoted his free time to teaching Special Olympians.

Anyone who wants more information on the Law Enforcement Torch Run should contact Laurie Kaneta at 961-2346 in Hilo or Sergeant Alexander Graves at 326-4208.

The Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with mental retardation.

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