Pay close attention to the Olympic torchbearers as the flame makes its way through the streets of Buckingham, July 9, on its 70-day journey to the Olympic Games. One of the women running in the torch relay will be rising Scripps College sophomore Sarah Williams ’15.
Williams is one of 22 Americans who will participate in the Buckingham leg of the historic relay that leads into the opening ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic Games. She’s in good company, too – Olympic medalists Michelle Kwan and Summer Sanders will also be on hand to carry the torch as well.
“I am so honored and grateful to be selected,” Williams said. “I was shocked – out of all the people nominated, I thought why me?”
The answer lies in Creative Kindness, a charity founded by Williams when she was 15. The organization networks with other committed individuals in the production of fleece blankets for foster children. To date, the project has spread to six different states, impacting the lives of more than 10,000 foster children and volunteers and raising $80,000 in the process.
Suitably impressed, relay sponsor Coca Cola chose Williams from a highly selective pool of applicants. She now joins a tradition dating back to ancient Greece, a tradition commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek gods by Prometheus. The torch relay builds on this and dates back to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Williams said in a recent interview. “I’ll be running through Buckingham. I think it’s about a mile.”
The end result for Williams? Memories that will last a lifetime and an unmatched Olympics souvenir – she gets to keep the torch she carries.
Sarah recently spoke with California Edition’s Brad Pomerance about Creative Kindness and carrying the Olympic torch. Watch her segment below:
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