Lemont Police Finish Second in State for 'Cop on Top' Fundraising

Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy may not have enjoyed sitting on the roof of a Dunkin' Donuts over the weekend, but it sure paid off.

The participated Friday in the statewide Cop on Top fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which benefits Special Olympics Illinois.

For the event, officers sat on the roofs of participating Dunkin' Donuts while their peers collected donations in the stores and on the streets.

According to Shaughnessy, Lemont police raised more than $5,000 over the weekend, making the Lemont Dunkin' Donuts, 12371 Derby Road, the second-highest fundraising location of 115 participating stores.

"We hoped to make what we raised last year, but we surpassed that," Shaughnessy said during the Village Board meeting Monday night. "I just wanted to say thank you. I'm in awe of the generosity of (the people of Lemont)."

Shaughnessy thanked several groups and individuals, including administrative assistant Paulette Garcia, the Citizens Police Academy, Police Explorers and Lemont Public Works. He also thanked a special guest who stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to support the fundraiser.

"The best left-handed pitcher in Lemont, (Chicago White Sox pitcher) Mark Buehrle came out to support us," Shaughnessy said.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run was founded in 1986. To celebrate the program's 25th anniversary, police departments set a goal of raising $3 million for this year. Last year, the Torch Run raised more than $2.9 million for Special Olympics Illinois.

Dunkin' Donuts donated $10,000 to the Torch Run in exchange for officers donating their time.

Special Olympics Illinois is a non-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 19 sports for nearly 21,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and more than 6,000 young athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. The first Special Olympics games were held at Soldier Field in July, 1968.

Back in March, Lemont Police Officer Joe Kurzawa during the Torch Run Polar Plunge.

Lemont Mayor Brian Reaves congratulated the department on their achievement.

"The people of Lemont don't donate when they don't believe in the cause," he said. "(The department) does a phenomenal job, and that shows."