Cranston Police Department detective Eric Leclerc has been volunteering for Special Olympics for about five years, but soon he will be taking his service overseas.

Leclerc was chosen as the sole representative from Rhode Island to take part in the 2017 Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg at the Special Olympics Winter World Games in Austria starting on March 9.

“It’s an unbelievable honor. It came about last year, I found out in June of 2016. There was a Rhode Island Torch Run Committee and they informed me that I was selected to represent Rhode Island at the World Games,” Leclerc, who has been on the committee for five years, said. “[It’s] just great being selected to represent Rhode Island as law enforcement and help out all the athletes and spread awareness for the Special Olympics cause.”

Leclerc has been a staple in the Rhode Island Special Olympics community. He leads a Special Olympics squad in Lincoln called the North Stars, which he says is a “year-round commitment.” He coaches basketball, track and field, bowling and snowshoeing, while also teaching golf skills.

Sixteen months ago, he received a special Justice Award for Community Service, chosen by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. He and four other Rhode Island Law Enforcement members helped organize the “2nd Annual Super Plunge,” according to a 2015 article in the Herald. The team raised more than $12,000 leaping into the frigid waters of Narragansett Bay once an hour for one day in 2015.

His stepdaughter, 14-year-old Sofia Illiano, serves as inspiration for his involvement in Special Olympics. She has been a participant herself for four years, and they motivate each other. Leclerc said she was “very excited and wanted to go” when she heard he was bound for the Games.

“Just being around her all my life and all her life so far and watching the needs that she has and other people with intellectual disability needs,” Leclerc said on what pushes him. “Everything the Special Olympics does for all their athletes, that’s just my driving factor.”

It’s been quite a journey for Leclerc, but he has another one coming up. He is one of 84 torch runners representing the law enforcement community in Austria. Leclerc will be a part of Team 5, which will cover 1,477 miles of territory, as it carries the “Flame of Hope” between 49 ceremonies from Salzburg and Innsbruck to Vienna and Stockerau.

In total, 24 countries will participate in the festivities. Team 5 will also feature nine other officials from Austria, Canada, Kenya, Slovenia and the United States. Danny Hall of Delaware will lead Team 5, according to the Final Leg’s website.

“We are going to be flying out to Switzerland and from there will be meeting up with the other torch runners,” Leclerc said. “Each town you run three to four miles into town and then one to two miles out of town, then you get on a bus and do it throughout the country. The torch that we’re carrying will be lit next week in Greece and we’ll pick it up once we get to Austria.”

The Final Leg will take place from March 9 through March 18, when the torch will arrive at WM-Stadium Planai in Schladming for the Opening Ceremonies.

“I’m very proud of him,” Cranston Police Colonel Michael Winquist said. “He’s been a dedicated volunteer for R.I. Special Olympics for quite some time. Being selected as one of the 84 torch runners was a huge honor for him as well as the Cranston Police Department, which he represents in a very positive capacity. We’re very excited about it. We support his efforts at the Cranston Police Department 100 percent and we wish him well.”

Coverage of the Winter World Games can be seen on ABC and ESPN2 beginning March 19. Events will also be streamed on the ESPN app and Watch ESPN.