Zone 1: Constable Niaomi Fillier is a Constable with the Thunder Bay Police Service. She has been involved with the LETR since 2012, participating in Final Legs, community runs and with the 2020 National Winter Games hosted in Thunder Bay. She helped sell tickets for the inaugural Hot Gauntlet Chicken Wing challenge as well as the Kidnap for a Cause event.
Zone 1A: Constable Renee Lalonde is a Constable with the OPP. She has been involved with LETR for the past 12 years. She has organized numerous events including the Boogie Rush Mud Run, Out-of-Breath hockey tournaments, ATV Mud Runs and a porchetta bingo. She is a very creative fundraiser, always looking for new and ingenious ideas to raise funds to support Special Olympics athletes. Renee has also sold t-shirts and hero bears and attends many events with local athletes in her community.
Zone 1A: Paula McKnight is the Assistant Area Manager for Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island Probation and Parole Services. She has been an active LETR member for the past 10 years. She is well known for her enthusiasm and friendly spirit. She has served as a committee member for the Guardians of the Flame Half Marathon, her local Polar Bear Plunge, and has served on the Northern committee to assist in the overall planning for LETR events. She has sold shirts, shaker cups, and hero bears and dogs. She is also a coach of her local Special Olympics Ontario swim team. She has attended many provincial conferences and two international conferences.
Zone 2: Constable Tina Hunt is currently the Community Safety Office for the Renfrew Detachment of the OPP. She has been involved with the Torch Run for the past 15 years as a participant in the run and now being the lead organizer for her area. She organizes the Torch Run, a fundraising breakfast, change collections at local stores and just started participating in the polar bear plunge. Tina is a past recipient of the LETR Rising Flame Award and was also named Citizen of the Year for her township.
Zone 2: Ryan Johnston is an Ontario Corrections Officer working out of Ottawa. He has taken on leadership roles in coordinating the participation of correctional officers in runs and fundraising events including Cops for Cowboys. He has also assisted on the Ottawa Polar Plunge organizing committee and is an active participant on the Ottawa inter-agency organizing team. Ryan has also assisted at Ottawa 67 games, selling t-shirts, mall tolls and the selling of K9 Hero Dogs.
Zone 3A: Sarah Dereski is a Probation and Parole Officer with the Ministry of the Solicitor General. She has served as the Corrections Zone Rep for Region 3A since 2015 as well as on the organizing committee for the Guardians Half Marathon. Previously, she assisted with the organization of the Peel Regional Police and Correctional Services College Polar Bear Plunges. Sarah was a past recipient of the Rising Flame Award and also volunteers her time as the Co-Lead for the Correctional Services Critical Incident Stress Management team.
Zone 4: Sergeant Aaron Gross is in his 17th year with the Niagara Regional Police Service. He has been involved with the LETR since 2012 and since that time has attended every Provincial Workshop, run in many final legs and attended his first international conference. Aaron was Ontario’s selection to the Final Leg team for the 2020 National Winter Games in Thunder Bay. He regularly organizes his local Torch Run as well as the OHL Big Ticket Game, 4 Corners competitions, and represents NRPS at the annual truck convoy. He has also assisted in organizing various Polar Plunges, this year hosting one in Port Colborne for the first time.
Zone 5: Catherine Conoboy is the Special Events Coordinator at Waterloo Regional Police. She has been involved with the Torch Run for the past 12 years. Catherine organized the first Waterloo Polar Plunge in 2019 and over the past two years, this plunge has raised almost $70,000! For the 2020 Spring Games, Catherine was the lead for Opening and Closing Ceremonies, medal presentation and the final leg. When these games were cancelled, she was the lead in switching these games to a virtual format. Catherine has also organized the OHL Big Ticket Game, the old-timers game, a pancake breakfast and Cops and Cowboys.
Zone 6: Constable Jason Herder is a Constable with the Chatham-Kent Police Service. A proud second generation Torch Runner, Jason has been involved for the past 6 years. Jason has organized Torch Runs, Torch Rides, a car wash and the NHL Old-timers Game. An exceptional fundraiser, Jason has re-invented his local Polar Plunge fundraising over $100,000 over the past two years. He serves on the Provincial Polar Plunge steering committee and has presented on the success of his polar plunge at the Provincial Conference in Sault Ste. Marie as well at the Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games in Toronto.
Zone 6: Melanie Kish-Lewis is the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police for the Windsor Police Service. She has been involved with the Torch Run for the past 11 years and currently serves as the Coordinator for the Windsor organizing committee. Melanie has been involved with organizing the 2009 SO Summer Games Final Leg, as well as a variety of initiatives including shirt sales, grocery bagging events, Tip-A-Cop, Polar Plunges, OHL Big Ticket Games and the 50th Anniversary Celebration. Melanie is a past recipient of the LETR Award of Honour and has presented at two international conferences.
