Coffee For Champions Returns Friday With Palos Heights, Park Cops

PALOS HEIGHTS/PALOS PARK, IL — The 18th annual Coffee For Champions is back. Palos Park and Palos Heights police will be staking out their respective community’s Dunkin’ Donuts to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, from 5 a.m. to noon Friday, Aug. 20. This event was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Formerly known as “Cop On A Rooftop,” the event is being rebranded as “Coffee For Champions” to better represent what the event is about -- supporting Dunkin’ and the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch as well as raising awareness and supporting local Special Olympics athletes in our communities. Police hope to break the pre-pandemic Dunkin’ Coffee for Champions record of raising $871,000 in Illinois.

Palos Park police will be on the roof of Dunkin, 130th Street and Route 45.

Since 2016, the Palos Heights Police Department has raised $122,865.69 for Special Olympics Illinois. Officers will be staking out the rooftop of the Dunkin at 12807 S. Harlem Ave.

Officers will be collecting donations from customers, and every dollar collected will go directly to the Special Olympics Illinois. $1, $5, loose change in your cup holder -- no donation is too big or too small. For each donation, guests will receive a coupon for one free donut. Guests donating $10 or more will receive a Law Enforcement Torch Run travel mug (while supplies last) and a coupon for a free medium hot coffee.

Dunkin’ is also donating $15,000 to the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Fund, the single largest fundraising vehicle of the year. Officers participate in an intrastate relay passing the Special Olympics torch. The goal is to reach our pre-pandemic record of raising $871,000 here in Illinois.

Come meet the officers participating in the torch run and raise funds to for the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois.