Local state trooper chosen to carry Olympic Torch

A Colorado State Trooper who was born and raised in Grand Junction has been given the opportunity of a lifetime; he'll be carrying an Olympic Torch in Korea for the World Winter Games in late January.

Chris Wright has been with the Colorado State Patrol for 15 years.

He's also the Deputy State Director for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics.

When Wright was a kid, he said his dad used to work at the Regional Center, so he was often around people who were living with developmental disabilities.

Now, Wright's wife works for Mesa Developmental Services, helping those less fortunate on a daily basis.

"Just because somebody was different doesn't mean you treated them  different, and Mesa Developmental Services and Special Olympics are perfect examples of that," said Wright.

This year, Wright was chosen to represent Colorado's Law Enforcement Torch Run. He'll be carrying the torch for the Special Olympics final leg for the 2013 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Korea.

His team will consist of officers from all over the world and they'll cover over 20 cities to spread awareness and showcase the abilities of Special Olympic athletes.

"It's a great release for me, you see a group of people that didn't ask to be born the way they are and doing the best they can and finding joy in everything they do, and it kind of makes you look back on your life and your little problems, and they're not quite as bad as you think they are," said Wright.

Trooper Wright's team will also participate in a Polar Plunge while in Korea to raise money for Korea's Special Olympics program.

But Chris said that 50% of his fundraising dollars will be given back to Colorado to benefit our Special Olympics program.

For more information on how you can contribute to the cause, Wright has a donation page set up at the following link: http://soi.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/mobileDonorPledge.asp?ievent=1014195&lis=1&kntae1014195=D8D5E8207C5F4A718EF01B589A11C549&supId=368418459&team=0&scWidth=320&extSiteType