Representing Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC), Raleigh Police Department Lt. Ken Klos-Weller will join other law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes in the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Final Leg for Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, held March 1-11. The World Winter Games will take place March 8-16 in Turin, the first capital of Italy.
The Special Olympics Flame of Hope will be lit in Athens, Greece, and will then travel through Italy before arriving ceremoniously at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025. As a Torch Runner, Klos-Weller will promote the message of inclusion throughout Italy, running alongside fellow law enforcement officers and athletes.
Globally, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is an annual fundraising and public education campaign conducted by law enforcement personnel that raises millions of dollars for Special Olympics in countries around the world, with the strongest support being in the United States and Canada. Since its inception in 1981, more than $1 billion has been raised. Over 100,000 law enforcement personnel make the Torch Run efforts a success, which helps Special Olympics fulfill its philosophy of never requiring its athletes to pay registration costs for their participation.
Klos-Weller was first introduced to Special Olympics as a volunteer for the Special Olympics World Games North Carolina 1999, which were held in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Fifteen years ago, Klos-Weller joined the Raleigh Police Department. Upon graduation from the Raleigh Police Academy, he became involved in community events through the department, which led Klos-Weller to the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics North Carolina (NC LETR). He now serves on the NC LETR State Council, which manages, promotes and coordinates NC LETR activities throughout the state.
“My career path led into community policing,” said Klos-Weller. “NC LETR was a natural fit because it does fit into a community policing model. With the events and planning, that goes a long way toward building leadership skills within a squad, within a division and within the department.”
Over the years, Klos-Weller has attended multiple LETR International Conferences and participated in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Final Leg stop in Charlotte, North Carolina, on its way to light the cauldron for the Opening Ceremony in Orlando, Florida. Running in the 2025 LETR Final Leg, Klos-Weller will represent SONC on an international stage, bringing the mission of hope to Special Olympics athletes worldwide.
About the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics North Carolina
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is an international fundraising campaign for Special Olympics. Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition for more than 5.4 million children and adults around the world who have intellectual disabilities. Nearly 45,000 athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and Unified partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) in North Carolina inspire thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics North Carolina is officially endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriff’s Association, the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, the National Association of School Resource Officers, the North Carolina Association of School Resource Officers, the North Carolina Department of Justice, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
About Special Olympics North Carolina
Since 1968, the organization has used the transformative power of sports to improve the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Nearly 45,000 athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and Unified partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) in North Carolina inspire thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers year-round training and competition in 20 Olympic-type sports on local and state levels as well as health and wellness initiatives to improve the health status and increase access to community health resources for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Youth become agents of change through Unified Champion Schools, an education and sports-based program created by Special Olympics to build an inclusive environment among youth with and without intellectual disabilities as well as empower them to become youth leaders and create change in their community. Engage with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
