Officers from the El Dorado Police Department spent Friday collecting donations for the Special Olympics ahead of the 2022 summer games, which will start next month.
Detective Gerid Ardwin said officers arrived at Wal-Mart at 10 a.m. Friday and planned to stay until about 4:30 p.m. to fundraise for the organization, which provides an avenue for intellectually disabled children and adults to compete in athletic competition.
By 2:45, officers had already collected nearly $2,000, Ardwin said.
"We were giving out t-shirts for extra donations, but we already gave all those out," he said. "We're just trying to raise as much as possible."
The EPD has supported the Special Olympics for several decades. In February, officers invited the community to participate in the Polar Plunge, another fundraiser that asks participants to take a jump into cold water to raise funds for the annual Special Olympics games.
Officers will also participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run next month to kick off the summer games.
"The torch for the Special Olympics is carried around the state before the beginning of opening events and police officers from all over the state literally run it," Ardwin said. "Our leg is from El Dorado to Camden."
Ardwin noted that the Special Olympics differs from the Paralympics in that the athletes who participate are generally not physically disabled. However, the athletes do often require specialized health care, which he said the Special Olympics helps to provide.
"They get specialized health care from the funds we raise. And this is an underserved group, so we're able to help people who might not be able to always articulate what they're needing help with, and through the games, they can get that health care," he said.
The EPD can accept donations for the Special Olympics year round, Ardwin said. To learn more about the Special Olympics, visit specialolympicsarkansas.org.