Area police departments raise thousands for Special Olympics Illinois

Police officers from across the region gathered atop Dunkin’ locations Friday, May 15, to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, with participating departments selling merchandise and collecting donations throughout the morning.

From 5 a.m. to noon, officers and village officials participating in Cop on a Rooftop staffed tables at multiple locations. The effort paid off: Willow Springs Police Department, which led the fundraising, is now ranked 27th among 65 Illinois police departments featured on this year’s Law Enforcement Torch Run t-shirts.

“It was our goal to raise a lot of money to get our department’s name on this year’s t-shirts,” said Tammi Phelan with the Willow Springs Police Department.

The Willow Springs location at 8424 S. Willow Springs Road drew a notable visitor: Chicago Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, who stopped by to donate and take photos with officers.

Last year, Willow Springs donated $26,777 to the cause and saw the largest revenue increase among participating departments — $18,913 — earning a trophy for the achievement.

Other top-performing departments on this year’s shirt include La Grange Park, Bridgeview, Bedford Park, and Hodgkins.

For Bedford Park Police Department, Friday marked its first year participating. The village’s first Dunkin’ location opened at 5641 W. 65th Street.

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of our team, area businesses, and the community,” said Officer Sara Svetich.

Stickney Police Department also participated for the first time, teaming up with Forest View Police Department at 3800 S. Cicero Avenue, Stickney. The two departments set up on opposite ends of the lot, giving customers a choice of which officers to support.

All merchandise sales and donations go directly to Special Olympics to support athletes.