Jenny LeBelle (left), who is the program coordinator for Special Olympics Oregon, holds up a check for $7500 with Special Olympics athlete Jenny Hill (KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings).
On Saturday, July 27, the Keizer Police Department (KPD) raised more than $9,000 for the Oregon Special Olympics with their 5K Foot Pursuit for Special Olympics.
Jenny LeBelle, the local program coordinator for Marion County, said they were hoping for $3,500, and was brought to tears when she discovered that more than twice that amount was raised.
KPD Community Outreach Specialist Dorothy Diehl said this was not the first time that the department has worked with the Special Olympics, though most of the events did not take place in Keizer. It’s somewhat typical for police departments to support the Special Olympics.
“We wanted to do something in Keizer where our citizens could support us,” Diehl said.