Law enforcement responded early this morning to Dunkin’ of Houghton—not for donuts and coffee, but to collect donations supporting Special Olympics of Michigan.
City of Houghton Police Lieutenant Nick Roberts said it’s important to get out into the community and share causes the law enforcement community cares deeply about.
“This is our second year doing it,” Roberts said. “We love helping support Special Olympics. It’s a very good cause. We have a lot of Special Olympians in our local area also that we support.”
Carla White, MDOC Munising, emphasized the importance of the fundraising efforts.
“To raise their awareness, raise that money for them. So there’s no cost to the athletes or their families to compete in the sports that they love,” White said. “And we just got Special Olympics back up and running here in Houghton last year. So it’s really, really good to be out here and to see the community support us.”
Roberts highlighted the success of previous fundraising efforts. Funds raised during Cops on a Rooftop, and support for the Houghton Police 5k Fun Run help local olympians participate in the sports they love.
“Bruce from the Wood Spoon donated that last year too,” Roberts said. “Last year, I think we received around $2,000 for that. It’s a $150 jar of jam. So if you can picture that, I should have brought it here today. So it’s humongous. But I want to get up to like $5,000 for that jam this year.”
White described the community support during the Torch Run. In September, the law enforcement community of Michigan will come together to complete a journey across the entire state during the annual torch run. Last year’s kickoff returned to Copper Harbor, a fitting location with the reemergence of Area 39 Special Olympics teams in the western Upper Peninsula.
“We get the Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Department up there, some people from up here in this area come up and just to see those guys come out and support and whether they run a mile or whatever with the team that’s doing 750, it’s great just to see and to come through the communities,” White said. “We come right through Houghton and the community comes out and supports us. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Supporting local area teams, the City of Houghton Police Department will host a 5K fun run on Sept. 12. The event offers an opportunity to support Special Olympics of Michigan while having fun with the community. The Torch Run will also kick off on September 12th for the journey across Michigan.
Ahead of the event, the police department will have raffle tickets available for a special half-gallon jar of thimbleberry jam donated by Wood’n Spoon. The 2025 thimbleberry jam raffle raised $2,000 to support travel, equipment and uniform expenses for Special Olympians.
Learn more about the Houghton Police 5k Fun Run for Special Olympics Area 39 here.
Learn more about Area 39 Special Olympic teams and volunteer opportunities here.
