VIDEO: Organizers Explain Why Students Didn't Plunge Friday

Anne Arundel students didn't participate in the regularly scheduled Cool School plunge because of exams and then weather conditions caused Friday's festivities to be canceled.

Police Earn $4,000 in 'Tips' for Special Olympics

Officers from the Annapolis Police Department waited on tables at Red Robin Saturday to fundraise for Special Olympics Maryland.

Christine Foxwell was surprised to see a restaurant full of police officers, when she entered the Red Robin at Westfield Annapolis mall on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after her family was seated, Cpl. Chris Kintop approached Foxwell's table and asked if they needed anything to drink. "Their first question is 'what's going on?'" Kintop said. He and about a dozen other officers from the Annapolis Police Department spent Saturday serving steak fries and refilling drinks at Red Robin for Tip-A-Cop—an annual Special Olympics fundraiser. "I think it's really cool," Foxwell said. Servers took customers' orders while police officers brought refills and bused tables from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Patrons were invited to "tip" the cops for their …

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Police to Serve Burgers For Charity on Saturday

Annapolis police officers will be serving food to patrons of Red Robin on Saturday as part of a national event called Tip-A-Cop that raises money for the Special Olympics.

Annapolis police will trade in their handcuffs and badges for Red Robin burgers and aprons this Saturday as part of a national fundraiser for the Special Olympics. "It's really something that once you do it you kind of get addicted to it," said Sergeant Beth Nelson, the event coordinator for Annapolis police. "You see these athletes ... and it's something that becomes near and dear to your heart." The annual Tip-A-Cop event launched seven years ago as a partnership between Red Robin and the Law Enforcement Torch Run campaign, which holds a series of relay runs and special events to fundraise for the Special Olympics. “With the help of participating law enforcement officials and the generosity of our guests who have made donations, we have …

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Police Carry Special Olympics Torch Across County

The torch made the trip from Glen Burnie to Annapolis on Tuesday.

Dozens of Anne Arundel County police officers carried the Special Olympics torch from Glen Burnie to Annapolis on Tuesday. The event was part of the 2012 Law Enforcement Torch Run, which area law enforcement agencies participate in each year. Anne Arundel County officers purchased the blue T-shirts shown in the picture to help raise money for Special Olympics Maryland athletes for the approaching summer games.  The torch will be delivered to Towson University for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games, scheduled for Friday. For more information about Special Olympics Maryland and the 2012 Summer Games, visit www.somd.org.

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Daniel Anderson

10:38 am on Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kudos to the Anne Arundel police officers for shedding some light on the Special Olympics. We tend to forget that the Special Olympics and the disabled athletes who have pushed boundaries to achieve sporting excellence.   more ›

Annapolis Police Host Special Olympics 1-Mile Challenge

The course will cut through the downtown historic district.

The Annapolis Police Department is holding its third annual one-mile challenge to benefit Special Olympics Maryland. On Saturday, runners and walkers are invited to participate in the mostly flat and downhill course, which kicks off at City Dock and goes through the historic district, according to the Special Olympics website. There is also a team competition category for police, firefighters and local businesses. No wheels, headphones or pets are allowed during the challege. Following the race, there will be a party for participants and spectators, the website states. Awards will be given in several categories including fastest male and female and best costume. To register or sponsor a runner, check out the Annapolis one-mile website. As …

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Law Enforcement Torch Run Continues Through Annapolis

Members of the Annapolis Police Department, including Chief Michael Pristoop, ran the torch on a 3.5 mile course through Annapolis Tuesday.

The Flame of Hope is a little closer to making its way to Towson for Friday’s Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games thanks to members of the Annapolis Police Department. Members of the APD, Special Olympics athletes and local volunteers carried the flame Tuesday afternoon during part of the Maryland Law Enforcement Torch Run. The torch run in Maryland involves four relays or “legs” with four torches being carried around the state, said Betsy Jiron, senior director of special events for Special Olympics Maryland. On Tuesday APD officers participated in the Eastern leg of the run, which started in Ocean City, continued through Salisbury, Cambridge and Easton and then made its way to Annapolis. The group started at …

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Photo Gallery: One Mile Challenge Unites Runners of All Abilities

The race, organized by the Annapolis Police Department, started and ended at the Annapolis City Dock and raises money for Special Olympics Maryland .

On Saturday morning the Annapolis Police Department held its second annual One-Mile Challenge to benefit Special Olympics Maryland. Runners of all ages and abilities made their way from City Dock to Randall Street, turned left onto King George Street and left onto College Avenue. They continued with  another left onto Church Circle and finally left onto Main Street and back to the finish line at City Dock. The Annapolis Police Officer Asset Team dressed in black t-shirts and ran in formation. Women Annapolis Police Officers sported pink t-shirts and called themselves “White Lightning.” Teams sponsored by local businesses and friends and families of special olympians made their way down Main Street toward the finish line at City Dock. …

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Red Robin Serves Up Donations for Special Olympics Maryland

Restaurant offered portions of proceeds, while Annapolis Police officials volunteered as servers and collected donations for Special Olympics Saturday.

Using his charisma and dedication to fast service, Mike Heup was a natural waiter. Heup, 30, of Annapolis—a Special Olympics athlete—and local police officers volunteered to wait tables for Tip-A-Cop day at the Westfield Annapolis mall Red Robin restaurant on Saturday. The event included officers from the Annapolis Police Department (APD) and public safety officials from Anne Arundel Community College. It was held in conjunction with the Maryland Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR)—a year-round fundraising and awareness initiative that involves more than 90 state law enforcement and corrections agencies. The event raised more than $3,200 to benefit Special Olympics Maryland (SOMD). “I do a whole lot of sports,” Heup said of playing basketball…

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Thousands Plunge in the Bay for a Good Cause

The Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis attracted crowds and raised money for Special Olympics Maryland.

Annapolitans headed to Sandy Point State Park to take the plunge into the Chesapeake Bay and be part of one of the area's most popular fundraisers. Despite the chilly weather on Saturday, participants happily embraced the cold for the Maryland State Police-sponsored Polar Bear Plunge to support Special Olympics Maryland. Mickey Cucchiella of Baltimore's 98Rock morning show, an event sponsor, told the crowd that the energy of the crowd would warm them up. “It’s unbelievable how this has grown to an event this size in the five years I’ve been doing it," Cucchiella said. This year an estimated 12,000 plungers were expected to have participated, with another 13,000 attending the festivities. There were two plunges on Saturday—the first at 1 p.…

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