TORCH RUN NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2020
Please Welcome New OLETR Director, Karen Richards

Thank You To Sgt. Mark McGugan For His Three Years As Director
Special Olympics Ontario Virtual School Championship Games, Hosted By
Kingston Police!
Last week, Special Olympics Ontario held the FIRST EVER Virtual Games, hosted by Kingston Police.

The Special Olympics Ontario Virtual School Championships took place from June 16-18 and included all kinds of fun, interactive and educational activities for students and teachers/coaches to take part in. From June 1 to the week of Games, student-athletes 13 to 21 years of age, had the opportunity to participate in a series of sport related challenges from the comfort of their own home and submit their results. This allowed athletes from across the country to compete against one another in a safe environment.

The Opening Ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 16th and included great representation from local Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run (OLETR) members. The full video of the Opening Ceremony is included above. The Final Leg portion takes place at 42:50 of the video .

The Closing Ceremony happened on Thursday, June 18th and local OLETR members had the honour of announcing the winners in all categories from the Games. The full video of the Closing Ceremony can be seen below, the awards take place at 8:30 of the video .

The Flame of Hope was then transferred to the Guardians of the Flame Miner's Lamp and passed from Chief Antje McNeely of Kingston Police to Chief Bryan Larkin of Waterloo Regional Police Service. The passing of the Miner's Lamp can be viewed at 1:01:10 of the Closing Ceremony video .

Stay tuned for news on what the Waterloo Regional Police Service has planned in July!
Check out this recent feature on proud OLETR member Tijana Lakovic!
Tijana Lakovic talks about Pride Month and what it means to be LGBTQ in corrections

Jun 15, 2020
Posted by Koko Zephyrine

“Pride Month means to have the privilege to create and endorse an inclusive workplace that creates a safe space for my coworkers to feel comfortable in being themselves. It’s an opportunity to educate folks in our workplaces about LGBTQ leaders of today and the ones who paved the way for me to feel comfortable being myself at work.” - Tijana Lakovic, Deputy Superintendent of Security and Compliance at the Vanier Centre for Women.

For Tijana, being a part of  Pride in Corrections  and  Serving with Pride  has provided her with a voice and the ability to educate staff across the province about what it means to be an LGBTQ individual. She’s a member of the OPS Pride communities, which has given her the opportunity to be loud, out and proud while feeling safe at work.

This year, celebrating Pride Month is very different than others. Pride in Corrections began their celebration with a virtual flag raising and sent out a “Happy Pride Month” email. Staff were encouraged to send photos or video messages showcasing their local celebrations. Some staff members are also encouraging virtual connectiveness by doing virtual drag shoes shows, virtual drag book readings and participating in several pride challenges.

In this short interview, Tijana talks about the significance of this month and the importance of creating an inclusive and safe workplace that allows SolGen staff to feel comfortable in the skin they’re in.
We Need Your Feedback!
We are currently in the process of reviewing our OLETR Awards and Recognition structure and would like your help.


Thank you in advance!
Join the Torch Run Ontario Team To
Walk The World With Me
#WalkTheWorldSO
Let’s stay active together! Join Special Olympics athletes in a virtual walk around the world.

Special Olympics athletes are challenging you to join them on a new journey as they challenge volunteers, supporters, and fans to join in Walk The World With Me Challenge.
Post a photo of yourself walking, and share the photo on your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram) letting us know you’ve joined Walk The World With Me. #WalkTheWorldSO
Torch Run Shirts & Shaker Cups
Contact your Agency/Service LETR Representative to inquire about 2020 LETR Shirts and our NEW Metal Shaker Cups!

For those Agency/Service LETR Representatives that need Shirts or Shaker Cups, use the button below to contact Brock Robinson, Torch Run Manager.
Feeling lucky?
Progressive Jackpot is over $7,700 + and growing!
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Draw occurs weekly on Wednesdays, 7:00 PM EDT
5 tickets for
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20 tickets for
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75 tickets for
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200 tickets for
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Harley Raffle Over 50% Sold Out!
Looking for another way to support with a chance to win big?
You won't want to miss the opportunity to win a 2020 Harley Davidson Street Glide, valued at over $30,000!


There are a limited number of tickets available and we are more than 50% sold out , so act quickly to get your tickets!
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