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The Law Enforcement Torch Run made its way through Great Falls on Tuesday, en route to Bozeman to support Special Olympics Montana athletes.

Runners from the King's Hill area, Cut Bank, Lewistown, and Havre all converged on Montana ExpoPark on Tuesday afternoon.

Bob Wojciechowski of the Cascade County Sheriff's Office noted, "It gets bigger and bigger every year. It's something that's been going on since the early 80's and the support grows year by year."

Cheree Miller, the assistant state director for the Torch Run, said, "Every year it's phenomenal. You feel like a rock star. I mean, we're here to support them and they're here to support us, so it's just a never-ending circle of support and love and it's awesome."

Other agencies involved in the run include MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Montana Highway Patrol.

The Sheriff's Department will take the torch to Helena on Wednesday, and the torch will then make its way to Bozeman for the Special Olympics Montana summer games which begin next week.

Learn more at the Torch Run website, including this overview:

The Law Enforcement Torch Run®
The mission of the Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) for Special Olympics is to raise funds for and awareness of the Special Olympics Movement worldwide. Special Olympics is a program that daily reaffirms our beliefs that with hope, love and dedication we can see achievement and self-worth realized by any individual. It is our belief that persons with intellectual disabilities, by their involvement in Special Olympics, show the community at large the true meaning of sports and a pure joy towards life.

What is the Torch Run?
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® is Special Olympics' largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle, raising $20.5 million annually. At its most basic level, officers and athletes - the Guardians of the Flame - run the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" to the Opening Ceremonies of Special Olympics competitions. As a whole, the Torch Run encompasses a variety of fundraising vehicles such as donations or pledges for runners in the Torch Run, T-shirt or merchandise sales, corporate donations and special events.