I am pleased to nominate Christine McCallum for this award in recognition of her outstanding leadership, dedication, and longstanding commitment to the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) and Special Olympics.
Christine has been an active and passionate supporter of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the past 12 years. She recently formed the Brantford Police Service LETR Committee and continues to organize major annual fundraising events, including the Torch Run, Polar Plunge, and OHL game initiatives, which collectively raise up to $20,000 each year in support of Special Olympics athletes. She has represented the organization at numerous conferences, attending International LETR Conferences from 2023 to 2024 and Provincial Conferences in 2018 and from 2024 to 2026. She has also supported major events such as the Peterborough School Championships (2018) and the Waterloo Spring Provincial Games (2024).
In 2025, Christine served as Games Manager for the Special Olympics Ontario Summer Provincial Games in Brantford, overseeing total Games revenue of $1,035,032.80. The event generated significant economic impact, with Sports Tourism Canada reporting over $2.03 million in combined spending by visitors and organizers, supporting nearly $3.0 million in overall economic activity in Ontario, including almost $2.5 million in the Brantford area. The Games were recognized as one of the Top Ten Stories of 2025 by the Brantford Expositor, highlighting the event’s community significance and Christine’s leadership.
Christine has also served as Co-Coordinator of Special Olympics Brantford since 2022, supporting approximately 250 local athletes. In this role, she helps oversee the annual budget, athlete registration across all local sports programs, facility bookings, fundraising initiatives, and the coordination of volunteers and coaches. She also organizes the annual Emergency Services Basketball Game and has built strong community partnerships with organizations such as Allan R. Cooke Foundation, Brantford Bulldogs, Kruis Kontrol, Sobeys, Teamsters Canada, Tim Hortons and the Wayne Gretzky Foundation just to name a few.
At the provincial level, Christine has served as Zone 4 Coordinator (Niagara and Halton Region, Hamilton, Brantford, and Woodstock) since January 2024, supporting over 20,000 Special Olympics Ontario athletes. In this role, she provides critical updates, facilitates meetings, and recognizes outstanding contributions through award nominations. She has also played an active role in national partner awareness events with Sobeys and Tim Hortons, which recently announced $1.3 million raised across Canada in support of Special Olympics.
Christine’s leadership, dedication, and ability to inspire others have made a lasting impact at the local, provincial, and national levels. She would be an exceptionally deserving recipient of this award.
