June 7, 2018

‘Flame of Hope’

UCSB police officers carry the Special Olympics torch through Isla Vista and the university

Members of the UC Santa Barbara police department took to the streets of Goleta, Isla Vista and campus yesterday in the 2018 Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg for Special Olympics. Eight UCSB police officers, a police trainee, a community service officer and a civilian staff member were among those who helped the “Flame of Hope” move southward on its trek to Cal State Long Beach for the Special Olympics Summer Games Opening Ceremony on June 9.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers take part in the event every year, which has become the largest grassroots effort to raise funds and public awareness for Special Olympics. The Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg has officers carrying the torch more than 1,500 miles through 200 Southern California communities.

This marks the 10^th year UCSB has participated in the run. California Highway Patrol officers handed off the torch at the corner of Hollister Avenue and Coronado Drive in Goleta and the UCSB team ran west into Isla Vista and then through campus. At the corner of Los Carneros Road and Mesa Lane they passed the torch to officers from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

More than 1,100 athletes from across southern California will compete at the 2018 Special Olympics Summer Games June 9 and 10.

Download Printable PDF

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.