Dave Moy first popped onto my radar screen as one of those crazy people who go swimming in the Atlantic in January. Along with fellow Mount Laurel TRC’ers Steve Melleady and Bob Vallen, Dave raises money for the Special Olympics in Wildwood’s Polar Bear Plunge.
A perfect beach day at the last Polar Bear Plunge. L to R: Bobby Vallen, ARI FMS Insurance and retired Camden PD; Matthew Reeves, Special Olympics State Comity, retired Camden PD, and former BMW of Mt. Laurel employee; Chris Walker, ARI FMS Support; Steve Melleady, ARI FMS Truck Account Administrator; Dave Moy, MS Vendor Network Administrator.
Dave just reported back from another Special Olympics event: the 2018 Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run and Summer Games, the 35th anniversary of the Torch Run and the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics. Dave tells us the run started at 5:30am on June 8 from Atlantic City, with Dave following the runners in the Holman Support Vehicle: an F-350 courtesy of Ford-Lincoln Maple Shade and Fleet Manager Glenn MacGarvey. There were supporters along each leg of the 59-mile route, including a few schools where students ran side-by-side with the officers. The run concluded at 3:30 pm in Camden.
At the start of the run, in front of the Holman support vehicle: Retired Camden City patrolman Matthew Reeves (former BMW of Mt. Laurel employee), retired Camden City Police Sgt. Gary Evangelista, Dave, Retired Camden City Police Lt. Lou Hannon. (Matt, Gary and Lou are on the NJ Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee).
Mullica Township Police Department with Mullica Township Schools. Students joined in the run with the police department.
Winslow Township Highway Patrol Traffic Unit with Torch Run Committee members
Capt. Thomas Hartshaw, Collingswood P.D., holding the torch with his daughter Ellen, who joined the rest of the Collingswood team for the run.
Camden County Police Academy Cadets with LT. Kevin Lutz Camden Metro Police (Yellow Shirt) finishing the last leg of the run in Camden at the Victor.
After the Torch Run, Dave drove to Trenton’s College of NJ for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games, where each Special Olympic athlete received a medal from a uniformed officer. Dave says that at the event, his group of volunteers cooked, prepared, and served all of the food: a total of 20,880 meals with 7,706 hot dogs, 13,104 hamburgers, 26,000 bottles of water, 450 lbs. of potato salad, 350 lbs. of health salad, 7,000 bags of apple slices, 150 lbs. of onions, 200 lbs. of sauerkraut, 2,000 individual salads, 396 jars of sliced pickles, 5,280 granola bars, 20,000 bags of chips, 4,000 bananas, 4,000 oranges, and 3 pallets of charcoal (whew!).
Every athlete walks onto the field during opening ceremonies, led by their county’s honor guard and walking through a tunnel of police officers that stretches the length of the field. The athletes stop to high five and hug the police along the way. This athlete hugs Retired Capt. Joe Sarnoski of Lyndhurst Police Department.
The Camden County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, led by Drum Major Richard Desmond, performing at the opening ceremonies.
Two of the Games most senior athletes, carrying the “Flame Of Hope”
Put me in, Coach: a mother walks her child athlete onto the field.
An athlete receives his gold medal
A longtime athlete competing in track and field
Dave presents a plaque to the store manager of the Absecon Shoprite. Shoprite is one of the event’s major sponsors, donating all of the food and countless volunteers from all NJ Shoprite store locations.
Dave finished his account by thanking sponsors and the countless volunteers that make events like these possible: “Support and generosity like Holman’s continue to make this a great event, allowing all of the athletes and their families to attend at no cost. I can’t wait to do it again next year!”
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