From left to right, East Providence Police Officer Thomas Snow, Special Olympics athlete Cote David and Officer Patrick Holmes took part in the Torch Run Plunge in 2025 at Salty Brine State Beach in Narragansett. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
EAST PROVIDENCE — Each March, Retired East Providence Police Corporal Tammy David watches police officers, firefighters and other public safety personnel run into the frigid waters at Salty Brine State Beach.
She is impressed, but not only because they brave the cold. It is what the moment represents for athletes like her son.
“What it means to us is inclusion,” Cpl. David said. “If you see police, fire, corrections and court employees go to this length to help raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympics, it means the world to the parents and the athletes. It means everything to us.”
Cpl. David has been involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Rhode Island for more than 20 years. Her connection to the cause began shortly after the birth of her son, Cote, who has Down syndrome. Now 23, he is an active Special Olympics Rhode Island athlete, competing in skiing and swimming, and he has become a dedicated participant in the Torch Run Plunge.
The annual Torch Run Plunge will take place Sunday, March 22, at noon at Salty Brine State Beach in Narragansett. The event follows the Torch Run Super Plunge, a 24-hour endurance challenge in which participants enter the water once every hour for 24 hours.
The East Providence Police Department has participated in the Torch Run Plunge every year since it began in 2008 and is consistently among the top fundraising teams in Rhode Island. This year’s East Providence team includes Officers Patrick Holmes, Will Ortiz and Tom Snow, along with Cpl. David and her son, who serves as the team’s captain and top individual fundraiser.
Funds raised through the Torch Run Plunge support Special Olympics Rhode Island, ensuring that athletes can participate in sports and programs at no cost. The organization provides year-round opportunities for competition, training and personal development.
Community members are encouraged to support the East Providence Police Department team by making a donation through its online fundraising page. Contributions help provide year-round athletic opportunities for Special Olympics Rhode Island athletes at no cost to participants. Donations can be through the following donation page: https://app.giveffect.com/teams/25757-east-providence-police
Cpl. David said the impact of those opportunities has been life-changing for her son.
“Special Olympics gave him confidence and helped him realize what he’s capable of,” she said. “He’s now living on campus at Bridgewater State University. That’s something I never would have imagined years ago, and it all started with him believing in himself.”
Law enforcement agencies from across the state, along with firefighters, corrections officers, court employees and recruits from the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy, take part in the plunge and other Torch Run events throughout the year. Participants volunteer their time to raise funds, present medals at competitions and support athletes at events across Rhode Island.
Cpl. David said the support from the East Providence Police Department has been constant throughout her involvement.
“From day one, the East Providence Police Department has always stepped up and asked how they can help,” she said. “Officers give their time; they show up for these athletes and show them love. They make a real difference.”
East Providence Police Chief Michael Rapoza pledged the department’s continued commitment to the cause.
“Our officers are proud to support Special Olympics Rhode Island and the incredible athletes it serves,” Chief Rapoza said. “The Torch Run Plunge and other events that benefit the Special Olympics mean so much to our department, and we are honored to be part of something that makes such a meaningful impact.”
In addition to the plunge, the Law Enforcement Torch Run supports Special Olympics Rhode Island throughout the year.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run will continue later this spring, when officers from across Rhode Island will again carry the “Flame of Hope” through communities statewide ahead of the Special Olympics Rhode Island Summer Games. The run is scheduled for May 29 this year, culminating in the Opening Ceremony at the University of Rhode Island.
Cpl. David, who helps coordinate the East Bay leg of the run, said the event brings together law enforcement and athletes in a powerful show of unity and support. She encourages community members to get involved in any way they can.
“Just show up once,” she said. “Whether it’s taking the plunge, helping at an event, or presenting medals, you’ll understand what it’s all about. You’ll leave smiling, and you’ll want to come back.”
Cpl. David said her involvement with Special Olympics Rhode Island has also opened her eyes to the broader impact of the organization far beyond her own family.
Through the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics — an international movement in which law enforcement officers raise funds and awareness for athletes — she has connected with officers and families from across the country and around the world. In 2015, she was selected to participate in the Final Leg of the Torch Run for the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, running alongside officers from around the globe.
“It opened up my eyes to the world and the opportunity for my son and others everywhere,” she said. “You see what everyone is doing across the world, and there is no better place. We weren’t talking about police work. We were talking about what we do for the athletes.”
The Torch Run Plunge, which began in Rhode Island in 2008, has since become one of the organization’s most successful fundraisers in the state, bringing together police, fire, corrections and community members in a shared effort to support athletes. The event was started by East Providence Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Ledo, with support from law enforcement and public safety personnel across Rhode Island.
For Cpl. David, the experience of taking part in the plunge never gets easier physically, but its meaning only grows stronger.
“It’s so cold,” she said. “You run in as fast as you can, you go all the way under, and when your head hits the water, you just think, ‘What happened?’ and run back out for your towel.”
Still, she said, the moment is about far more than the shock of the cold.
“My son is right there doing it with me,” she said. “He wants to do it just like everyone else, and that’s what Special Olympics is all about. Our athletes can do anything. If they set their mind to it, they’re going to do it.”
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Retired East Providence Police Corporal Tammy David and her son, Cote David, took part in the Law Enforcement Torch Run outside the Rhode Island State House in Providence. The annual event raises funds and awareness for Special Olympics Rhode Island. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
Members of the East Providence Police Department, joined by Cote David and fellow participants, gathered outside the East Providence Police Department during the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run. The annual event brings together law enforcement and the community to support Special Olympics Rhode Island. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
Cote David competed in a swimming event as part of Special Olympics Rhode Island. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
From left to right, East Providence Police Officer Patrick Holmes, Cote David, and Lt. Kelvin Cabrera. The officers and David took part in the East Bay leg of the Torch Run in 2025. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
Cote David and East Providence Police Officer Patrick Holmes. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
From left to right, East Providence Police Officer Thomas Snow, Retired Corporal Tammy David, and Officer Patrick Holmes posed for a picture together at the 2025 Torch Run Plunge at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett. (Photo Courtesy East Providence Police Department)
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