Raleigh, NC – Special Olympics North Carolina announced that Agent Karen Morrow of the NC State Bureau of Investigation will participate in the 2010 United States Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) Final Leg team. Roy Forrest, Special Olympics North Carolina vice president of the NC Law Enforcement Torch Run, will also participate in the Final Leg in a support team role. Law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes from around the country will partner during this event which began July 11 to carry the “Flame of Hope” from Ames, Iowa to Lincoln Nebraska– home of the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games, which will begin July 18. The “Flame of Hope” symbolizes the courage, hope and determination represented by Special Olympics athletes.



Morrow is one of more than 100 participants selected for the Final Leg team, which includes 60 law enforcement officer runners, nine Special Olympics athlete runners, and 40 support team members. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia will be represented throughout the run by Torch Runners who have worked hard for Special Olympics and earned the chance to participate.



“It is an honor to have been chosen to represent North Carolina and run in the US Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg,” Morrow said. “Special Olympics is my passion. I love volunteering and fundraising for the athletes. They are an inspiration to me everyday.”



Morrow has been a NC State Bureau of Investigation agent since 2000 and is the Bureau’s coordinator for the North Carolina Law Enforcement Torch Run®. She established a successful partnership between the NC Torch Run and Chick-fil-A restaurants. This partnership has resulted in Torch Run officers across the state hosting numerous building-sit fundraisers at Chick-fil-A restaurants.

Morrow lives in Johnston County with her husband and daughter.



The Final Leg event kicked off with a “Flame of Hope” Lighting Ceremony at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, site of the first-ever Special Olympics USA National Games in 2006. The flame has already traveled through Iowa and crossed a bridge into Omaha, Nebraska. This week, the flame will make its way through Nebraska, with the run concluding in Lincoln on July 18 as the Olympic cauldron is ignited at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games.



The 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games & Special Olympics Team North Carolina

From July 18 - 23, the Special Olympics USA National Games will take place in Lincoln, Nebraska, on the University of Nebraska campus. Organizers expect more than 3,000 Special Olympic athletes and 30,000 spectators from across the country to participate in and attend the event. Special Olympics Team North Carolina consists of 50 athletes and 14 coaches. A list of activities for the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games includes aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, flag football, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Special Olympics Team NC will compete in eight of the sports offered. For more information and to meet Team NC athletes, please visit www.specialolympicsnc.com.



Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, making it one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world in terms of athletes registered. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels.