St. Paul Police Dept. employee competing in

2023 Special Olympics World Games

Matthew Krohn had a police escort when he headed to the airport early Saturday, his ultimate destination the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Krohn, a St. Paul Police employee who cleans the department’s headquarters, is representing Team USA as a swimmer.

Read more at twincities.com

Learn more about World Games

Athlete highlight: Terri Melhus

Terri Melhus is an athlete from northern Minnesota who has been involved with Special Olympics Minnesota (SOMN) since 2012. She's on the Bemidji Community delegation and has participated in the 1500-meter walk, 800-meter walk and the softball throw as well as swimming and bowling. In addition, with her dad as her Unified partner, she is a fierce bowling competitor!

Terri is also involved with SOMN's Leadership Program. She is the vice president of the Global Messenger Athlete Leadership Team (GMALT) in Bemidji. In addition, she is a member of the Leadership Sports Management Team for her delegation. In past years, she has sold raffle tickets for very successful fundraising events!

Recently, Terri participated in our LETR 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 courses and is now considered a trained LETR Ambassador. She walked part of the Final Leg route last year and spoke at an associated event. Terri also had a fun time at Dunkin’ Cop on a Rooftop on May 19, 2023, because “it is fun to interact with the officers and the general public! It is also great to be able to talk about Special Olympics.”

Terri said she enjoys the LETR events because she gets to work with law enforcement officers. When asked why, she said, “I appreciate everything our law enforcement officers do for us. I think it’s great and cool! The general public doesn’t realize the behind-the-scenes things our officers do and I want to give them a special thank you.”

Event recap: Dunkin' Cop on a Rooftop

The 7th annual Cop on a Rooftop fundraiser happened on Friday, May 19, at 24 Dunkin’ locations across the state of Minnesota. Together we raised over $36,000 and had 36 law enforcement agencies support the event! Thanks to everyone who supported the event by hosting a location or coming out to eat a donut!

Upcoming event: Final Leg - June 19-24

During the week of June 19-24, we invite law enforcement agencies from across the state to participate in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg. During this week-long event, officers carry the Flame of Hope across the entire state in honor of Special Olympics athletes. On June 24, the Flame of Hope will be presented by LETR members at the Summer Games Celebration Ceremonies at Stillwater Area High School.

One of the easiest ways to support Special Olympics Minnesota is by purchasing our annual Law Enforcement Torch Run merchandise.

If you would like to get involved or receive more information, visit somn.org/torchrun or contact us at torchrun@somn.org.

Upcoming event: Plane Pull

Are you strong enough to pull a plane? Find out on September 9 at the MSP Airport!

At the Plane Pull, teams of up to 8 people compete to find out who can pull a 23-ton jet the fastest. Join the Public Safety division and prove that you're the strongest agency in Minnesota! Fundraising is required to participate and 100% of funds raised supports the athletes of Special Olympics Minnesota.

Learn more and register a team at fundraise.somn.org/planepull

Upcoming event: LETR Golf Tournament

Join us for the annual LETR Golf Tournament for Special Olympics Minnesota! Gather a group of four from your agency for a day of golf, prizes, dinner and fun! Learn more or register your group at oakmarshevents.com

LETR highlight: Brad Holzerland

My name is Brad Holzerland and I’m a sergeant with the Maple Grove Police Department. I got involved with LETR way back in 2004. A sergeant asked me if I would get our department involved in the Torch Run. At that time, I really didn't know a whole lot about LETR and what it really was. After doing some research, I really liked the idea of raising awareness and creating sporting opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. So, with that said, a bunch of west metro agencies were interested in creating and running a leg of the LETR through our cities and so we all agreed on a route and pretty much the rest was history. Our department has been participating in the West Metro Leg of the LETR ever since.

In 2008, Special Olympics Minnesota approached asking about adding a Polar Plunge location in Maple Grove. Having jumped in the lake every January 1 since 8th grade as part of a New Year's tradition, the idea seemed like a no-brainer. Through the help of community partners, businesses and volunteers, we have been able to host the Plunge the last 15 years and counting and raise over $2 million.

The last several years our department has also hosted Cop on a Rooftop at Dunkin. Even though I have a fear of heights, the lure of donuts got me up on that roof. 😉

Over these years I have also volunteered to help keep score at golf and softball tournaments and handed out awards at Summer Games. I have also been fortunate enough to attend several international LETR conferences, where it is highly motivating to see the global reach of Special Olympics.

Throughout all of these events, whether fundraising or volunteering, I have been able to meet the athletes who directly benefit from our efforts and see what a profound impact Special Olympics has had on their lives and the opportunities that they have enjoyed as a result.

Community engagement

By volunteering with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Minnesota, law enforcement participants champion acceptance and inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities. They help educate their communities about the gifts, talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities and create opportunities to bring everyone together.

Special Olympics Minnesota's Summer Games is an annual celebration of athletes and their teams. We invite all law enforcement to join the celebration! This year, we have specific opportunities for LETR to be involved:

LETR - Summer Games - Weekend 1

June 17-18 | South View Middle School, Edina

Gymnastics and swimming competitions

LETR - Summer Games - Weekend 2

June 24-25 | Stillwater High School

Basketball and track & field competitions

Law enforcement are not limited to these volunteer roles. If you're interested in volunteering in other ways—for example, track & field timing, athlete staging, swimming officials, power team, etc.—please reach out to Emma Fiedler at emma.fiedler@somn.org.

Check out our LETR website! We have information on all our LETR events, new recruitment presentations and handouts, information about open positions on our Executive Council and much more. To get further involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run, visit our website at somn.org/letr or contact Kean Corkery at kean.corkery@somn.org.