Become a Volunteer for the Special Olympics

The best feeling you'll ever have in your life is when a special child looks at you with love and admiration, and you'll experience that over and over, when you become a volunteer for the Special Olympics. You'll look at the child in the same manner when you see him or her win a ribbon for running, swimming, jumping, throwing, or even basketball.

Currently there are over 700,000 Special Olympics volunteers around the world, some at state or national levels, others, locally. Become a score keeper, help the kids loosen up and get ready for the events, or help get kids lined up and ready to participate.

Volunteers for the Special Olympics come from every walk of life. Students, teachers, coaches, local employees, business owners, health care providers, amateur athletes, professional athletes, parents and retired people are all found in the Volunteer pool.

With over two and a half million Special Olympics athletes participating every year volunteers are needed in large numbers. Donate a few hours, once a year, or participate even more by traveling to nearby Special Olympics events and becoming a volunteer for them as well.

Volunteers receive an initial orientation to explain the position you will be holding as a volunteer. You could be enlisted to become an escort for one of the kids, you could be a presenter of the awards, or you can just volunteer to drive some of the kids and/or escorts to the event.

If you're in a position where you can devote time on a regular basis you can become an administrative assistant, you can coach, help with fund raising, be a healthcare provider at the Olympics, you can officiate, help in public relations, or become a Unified Sports partner.

If you're worried that you will feel nervous around the mentally and physically challenged Olympians, don't. They're just like normal people but they're all slow learners. That doesn't mean that they can't smile and have great fun, though. Joke with them, smile with them, laugh with them - they're ordinary human beings and extraordinary people.