Cst. Braylon Hyggen and PSD-in-Training, Bridge will be serving up pizza on December 9, 2022 at the Law Enforcement Torch Run. (Photo: LNN, December 7, 2022)

By Sarah Jones

Lethbridge Police Service collecting donations for the Special Olympics

Dec 7, 2022 | 1:21 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Cops, Pops and Pizza, a Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) fundraiser, is set to make its way back to Lethbridge this month.

The Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) will be hosting the fundraiser at Boston Pizza South on Mayor Magrath Drive on Friday, December 9, 2022 to raise money for the Special Olympics.

In the past 41 years of the event, the LETR has raised over $950 million dollars worldwide to go directly toward Special Olympic events and athletes.

While it’s been a few years since LPS last hosted the event, LPS Constable and LETR Provincial Director, Braylon Hyggen, hopes that the Lethbridge community can pull together for a great cause.

“We’ll be there serving dinner, refilling waters, coffees, drinks, and we’ll also be there selling merchandise which coincides with the teddy bear toss at the Hurricanes game that night,” said Hyggen. “So, come on out and grab your teddy bear and take it to the Hurricanes game after you have a bite to eat.”

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Hyggen noted that over the years, there has been a drop in Special Olympic athletes in Alberta, and they’re hoping this additional push in fundraising efforts will help get those numbers back up.

Cops, Pops and Pizza will feature LPS members including K9 and the Tactical Team, along with Alberta Sherriff’s, Community Animal Services, the 20th Independent Field Battery, Coaldale and District Municipal Enforcement and a number of Special Olympics athletes.

Officers will be serving pizza, collecting donations for the Special Olympics, and selling stuffed animals for the teddy bear toss at the ENMAX Centre at 7:00 p.m. on December 9, 2022.

Funds raised will help support some of the provincial Special Olympic events coming up, such as the Provincial Games in Strathmore in February 2023, the Canadian National Winter Games in Calgary in 2024, and the Canadian National Summer Games in Medicine Hat in 2026.

“It’s a great opportunity for Alberta these next few years to take a front row with Special Olympics across the nation,” added Hyggen.

The Cops, Pops and Pizza, Law Enforcement Torch Run takes place from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on December 9, 2022, at Boston Pizza South.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now