Special Olympics seeking volunteers
Staff and volunteers are gearing up to host the Special Olympics Invitational at Utah State University on Saturday, Nov. 3, and volunteers are still being accepted.
Events will include swimming and basketball at the HPER as well as informal activities at the Fieldhouse.
“The best thing about the Special Olympics is giving those with special needs a chance to interact as a team. It helps them to develop relationships with the coaches, others and become more integrated into society,” said Matt Ormsby, director of the Special Olympic Team and head of delegation.
“The Special Olympics is very unique to me because you see the true spirit of games and competition,” said Sarah Dallof, director of the Special Olympics Invitational. “It’s not about who wins. It’s about being proud of accomplishments and improving.”
The Special Olympics’ official mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for individuals with mental retardation by giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Their oath is: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Dallof is in charge of planning the Invitational at Utah State University. Her responsibilities consist of certifying volunteers, making sure safety precautions are met, overseeing the coordination of each sport and obtaining sponsors and donations.
“This program would not exist without volunteers,” Dallof said. “We need help. It’s a fun, rewarding experience.”
“To get involved, come up to the Val R. Christensen Service Center and sign up on the computer,” Ormsby said.
Ormsby supervises his committee, which oversees volunteers, athletes, sports coordinators, publicity, history and finances. He is heavily involved in coordinating plans with parents and guardians of the athletes.
Volunteering positions range from the role of coach, to fund-raiser, to timer and scorer.
Dallof said if students are short on time but would like to volunteer, they could give a few hours on the day of the Invitational.
Ormsby said there are needs for volunteers to work on a weekly basis to practice with and train the athletes.
“Anyone can be a Special Olympics volunteer,” according to www.specialolympics.com. “Volunteering for Special Olympics can create lifetime friendships and rewards of immeasurable value. If you’re already involved, take pride in knowing you are an important part of a program which offers opportunities to athletes with mental retardation around the world.”
According to the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver held the First International Special Olympics Games in 1968 in Chicago, Ill. She ran day camps for people with mental retardation and observed they were “far more capable in sports and physical activities than many experts thought.”
Since then, millions of children and adults have participated in Special Olympics. There are accredited programs in approximately 25,000 communities in the United States and nearly 150 countries, according to the foundation.
When asked how she first became involved with the Special Olympics on Campus, Dallof said, “I was an officer with ASUSU. It was a lot of work … the Special Olympics let me pick a time commitment and I volunteered for a day. My actions had immediate results.”
“Two years ago my roommate volunteered with the [Special Olympics] volleyball team,” Ormsby said. “He said to come help out. I came to a volunteer meeting and they didn’t have a head coach. I volunteered and that’s how I started.”
Students interested in joining a volunteer army of more than 500,000 worldwide or getting more information about what they can do with Special Olympics can go to the third floor in the TSC, Room 327. Dallof’s office hours in the Val R. Christensen Center are Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 to 2 p.m. Ormsby’s office hours are 12:30 to 2 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday.