JCF Looking to Raise $3 Million for Special Olympics Jamaica

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is looking to raise $3 million from the 2023 staging of its Law Enforcement Torch Run to support Special Olympics Jamaica.

The funds will go towards the team’s preparations for the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, from June 17 to 25, among other activities.

While the Torch Run will he held on July 16, which is after the staging of the games, the launch, held recently at the Old Hope Road offices of the Police Commissioner, signalled the start of accepting pledges to meet the fundraising target.

For more than 35 years, the JCF’s annual Torch Run has been one of the major fundraisers for Special Olympics Jamaica, and over the last 10 years, the entity has joined forces with other partners.

These include the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Department of Correctional Services (DCS); Jamaica Customs; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), and the Jamaica Fire Brigade.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, in his address at the launch, said the JCF and its partners are committed to supporting the island’s special athletes.

“We are doing this for our country… and the pledge is to continue to support and to thank you for being brave; you inspire us,” the Commissioner told the special athletes, who were in attendance.

Colonel Rohan Johnson who represented the JDF, said that, in addition to supporting the programmes of Special Olympics Jamaica, the fundraiser helps to raise awareness about persons with intellectual disabilities.

“It represents the commitment of law-enforcement officers to stand with individuals with intellectual disabilities and provide them with the opportunities that they deserve. It is a testament to the power of collaboration, and the importance of community engagement,” the Colonel said.

Chairman of Special Olympics Jamaica, Ali McNab, said that the Torch Run, which is a global movement to support athletes with intellectual disabilities, has raised some US$1 billion since its inception in 1981 in the United States.