For Volunteers

Become a Special Olympics Volunteer!

Join hands with us in creating a program that meets the needs of every eligible athlete in Onslow County.

Special Olympics only works because of the generosity of people just like you who are willing to donate their time, skills, or money to support our program.

We welcome and encourage self-advocates (athletes), as well as friends and family members, to step up and be a part of making Special Olympics Onslow County shine as one of the premier local programs in the state of North Carolina.

Most volunteer positions do not require any special skills or training.  For those that do, Special Olympics helps meet those needs with regular training and information sessions.

There are many ways you can support our athletes as a volunteer:

Participate!

The best way you can support our Special Olympics program in Onslow County is to come on out and participate.

If you are a family member of an eligible athlete, get them involved.

And it’s easy to become involved alongside them, too.  You can:

• Come to our events and cheer on the athletes.
• Come to our monthly meetings and offer your ideas.
• Show up at practices and help our athletes and coaches on the field.
• Spread the word among your friends, family, school, church, and community about how we support individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Volunteer at one of our events.  We need people to help coordinate, setup, manage, and dismantle our events.  Your time and talents will always be needed.

Come be a part of our program in the way that suits you best.  We will be very happy to welcome you!

Take a Leadership Role

Our local program is always in need of dedicated individuals to bring their skills and experience to our program.  If you would like to serve on any of our committees (Sports, Financial, Fund Raising, Web Development, Family Liason, School Liason, Provider Representative, Athlete Representative, etc), please Contact Us and we will be very happy to help you find a position that will be the best fit for you.

Additionally, if you feel there may be a need for a different committee, or that your skills would best be served in a unique position, we’d love to have you Contact Us and share your ideas.

Become a Coach

Serving as a coach or assistant coach for one of our sports programs may be one of the most important ways you can support the Special Olympics Onslow County.

Without coaches, we wouldn’t be able to offer our many sports programs.  More coaches means more offerings, and more athletes participating.  That means as a group we can make a bigger impact in the lives of the athletes who need us.

If you would like to become a coach or assistant coach for one of the sports programs we currently offer, or if you’d like to coach a sport offered in North Carolina that we don’t currently offer, then we’d love to hear from you.

You can also review all of the requirements and online tests needed to be certified as a coach at the SONC website.

Participate in a Fundraiser

Fundraisers are the backbone of our program.

Special Olympics Onslow County is funded and run entirely on the financial donations of our generous sponsors.  These sponsors range from big nationally-known corporations to local businesses to individuals just like you.

One of the best ways to financially support Special Olympics Onslow County is through our Polar Plunge.  This is the main fund raising event we have, and is held in January of each year.  You can sponsor one of our participants, or participate in the event yourself.  To learn more about this event, please see our Polar Plunge page.

Other donations are also welcome year round, and every penny donated to us through our program stays here to benefit the athletes in Onslow County.

If you’d like to make a financial donation to help support the program, please Contact Us or visit our Donate page for more information.

Get Involved in Youth Leadership in Your School Through Project Unify

Special Olympics volunteers can come in all ages.

Important opportunities exist for middle- and high school-age students to spread awareness, acceptance, and respect among their peers through an initiative begun “in the 2008-09 school year as a US Department of Education funded national project to activate young people around the country in Special Olympics at the grassroots level”.  This project is called Project Unify.  As expressed on the SONC website, its stated purpose is to:

“Special Olympics North Carolina will involve more general education students, teachers, and administrators in creating school cultures where students recognize and respect the abilities of all people regardless of their disabilities.   Specifically, we will do this by educating students without intellectual disabilities to be more knowledgeable and comfortable in making friends with their peers who have intellectual disabilities.  Ultimately, we want students with intellectual disabilities to become part of the core fabric of the education community so that they are perceived positively in their schools and community.     In support of the many initiatives of Project UNIFY, policymakers and education leaders will be encouraged to develop best practices to encourage improved school climates with safe and nurturing learning environments for all students.”

Please see the website for more information on how to participate or how to involve your school.

Participate Alongside a Special Olympics Athlete

Special Olympics offers an opportunity for athletes without intellectual disabilities to participate in our games alongside those athletes who do have intellectual disabilities.  This program is called Unified Sports.  It matches athletes of similar age and ability for training and competition purposes, allowing our Special Olympians a chance to push themselves further in their chosen sports than they may otherwise have the opportunity to do.

Read more about this exciting program on the SONC website.

Other Opportunities

Other opportunities are available in the greater North Carolina Special Olympics Program that may not be available in our local Onslow County chapter.  To learn more about these opportunities, please visit the SONC website.