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WASHINGTON, DC, 9 September 2007 - Entering its seventh year, the World's Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics will be held in more than forty states and provinces in the United States and Canada on Saturday, 15 September. In an attempt to maintain its Guinness Book of World Records status, law enforcement officers and truckers will join forces and travel dozens of miles of highway to show their support of Special Olympics athletes.
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“The World's Largest Truck Convoy is one of the most unique and fastest growing fundraisers for Special Olympics. Over the past six years, more than 6,000 truckers have participated in the signature event, raising more than $1.3 million for the movement,” said Corp. Norm Schneiderhan, the Truck Convoy's creator. “The Truck Convoy is a true testament to the Special Olympics spirit of setting aside differences and building an atmosphere of acceptance. This event brings together law enforcement officers and truckers for whom every mile traveled during the Truck Convoy represents an increase in acceptance and inclusion of Special Olympics athletes.”
An international fundraising and awareness event, the Truck Convoy has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as “The World's Largest Truck Convoy” since 2001. The event is a unique partnership between law enforcement officers and truckers to raise funds for Special Olympics so they can continue to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The World's Largest Truck Convoy was conceived in 2001 by Corp. Norm Schneiderhan, Special Project Coordinator for the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida. Schneiderhan, who drove a truck for about three years in his father's trucking company before he entered the field of law enforcement, launched the event for Special Olympics as a way to call attention to the movement among truckers.
Special Olympics, the global leader in intellectual disabilities, will hold the largest international sporting and humanitarian event in 2007 when nearly 7,500 athletes from more than 165 countries gather in Shanghai, People's Republic of China for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in October. The event marks the first time the Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Asia, and only the second time the World Summer Games will be held outside the United States. China, the home of the largest Special Olympics program worldwide, has been active with the international organization for more than 20 years.
About Law Enforcement Torch Run
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2006, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) for Special Olympics is the movement's largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle encompassing a variety of events including Torch Runs, Polar Plunges and the World's Largest Truck Convoy. More than 85,000 international law enforcement officers have carried the "Flame of Hope" to the Opening Ceremonies of local and state/provincial Special Olympics competitions and Games, and Special Olympics World Summer or Winter Games. The LETR is now present in all 50 U.S. states, Canadian provinces and more than 35 nations around the world. With the support of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Premier International Sponsor, CARQUEST, the LETR has increased awareness and raised over $180 Million USD for Special Olympics, since its inception in 1981.
Contact
Kirsten Suto Seckler
Director, Global Marketing and Awareness
+1 (202) 715-1147
kseckler@specialolympics.org
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