Governor Lights Flame of Hope for Special Olympics Georgia at State Capitol, Kicking Off Summer Games

/PRNewswire / -- Governor Sonny Perdue will help light the Flame of Hope for Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) athletes at 9:15 a.m. Friday on the front steps of the State Capitol, kicking off State Summer Games this weekend.

The torch has been passed across the state by law enforcement officers for the last few weeks and will stop at 8 p.m. Friday at the Summer Games Opening Ceremony at Emory University's McDonough Field.

At the games, 2,100 athletes will compete in gymnastics, aquatics, athletics, volleyball, soccer, tennis and other sports Saturday and Sunday at Emory's Woodruff P.E. Center and the Candler Soccer Field, which are free and open to the public.

Friday's torch passing is part of a press conference to announce the 2009 Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Once the Governor and SOGA athlete Elena Weaver light the torch, they will pass it off to members of the 2009 Law Enforcement Torch Run, comprised of the Atlanta Police Department, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Georgia State Patrol and other agencies' officers across the state.

Perdue, Weaver and Chief Billy Grogan of Dunwoody Police Department and LETR State Director will speak at the conference.

The top five Torch Run fundraising agencies are: Kennesaw Police Department, Marietta Police Department, Chatham County Sheriff's Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department, and Villa Rica Police Department. The Torch Run's presenting sponsor is Publix Supermarkets.

Special Olympics Georgia mission

Special Olympics Georgia provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 22,797 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

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