On January 18, Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI) Southeastern Area and Texas Roadhouse in Kenosha teamed up to raise nearly $7,000 during the 2nd annual Guardians of the Flame® Lunch.

Key law enforcement volunteers and Texas Roadhouse management decided to hold the event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last year and continued the tradition in 2010. The day was chosen because state employees could participate on their day off, and also to follow the encouragement by the Governor to consider the holiday as a call to volunteer.

“I love the Special Olympics event that we do every year,” Texas Roadhouse Assistant Service Manager Stefanie “Sammy” Malek said. “It really gives us a chance to make a difference and partner with the community.”

Local law enforcement partnered up with wait staff to serve free lunch to patrons during the three hour event. All “tips” the officers earned will benefit the 1,500 athletes in the SOWI Southeastern Area. Texas Roadhouse generously donated all the food for the estimated 1,100 meals served. Twenty-five members of the Texas Roadhouse wait staff and five management personnel also donated their time to participate.

“The Special Olympics event we had this year was amazing.  One of the athletes even remembered me from last year!  When I was walking him to his table, he grabbed my hand and held it until we got to his seat.  I’m glad that I was part of such an important day,” server Meghan Downes said.

For those who couldn’t leave work, the event also offered delivery to areas such as the Kenosha County Jail and the hospital. Over 200 meals were served by officers just through delivery, bringing in almost $1,500 in tips!

Local law enforcement that participated include officers from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, Kenosha Police Department, Racine Correctional Institution, Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility, UW-Parkside Police Department, and Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Agents.

Thank you to everyone for the participation in this hugely successful event! Texas Roadhouse and SOWI Southeastern Area plan to team up again for the Guardians of the Flame lunch next year.