Kalispell Jason Parce had the honor recently of representing Montana as a runner, alongside law enforcement officers from 47 states and 6 Special Olympic Athletes at the 2018 USA Special Olympics Games Law Enforcement Torch Run in Washington State. They began our journey in Liberty Lake, WA and carried the flame of hope across Washington to the opening ceremonies of 
the USA Games at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Officer Parce explained they were split into 6 different teams, and every team included one Special Olympic Athlete. Each officer ran approximately 35 miles during our 4 day journey. Along their journey we ran through towns such as Spokane, Ephrata, Wenatchee, Leavenworth, 
Bellevue, Redmond, Everett, Bremerton, Tacoma, Burien, Federal Way, Marysville, Tulalip, Vancouver, and Seattle. Jason reported, "Our duty was to meet with citizens, elected officials, and public safety leaders of each community and discuss the Law Enforcement Torch Run movement and our mission of inclusion, acceptance, and tolerance for those with intellectual disabilities. People are often amazed to learn that law enforcement is the number one grass roots fundraiser for Special Olympics worldwide, raising over 650 million dollars since 1981. In 2016 alone, the Law Enforcement Torch Run raised over 50 million dollars for Special Olympics."