Special Olympics BC is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sport, with a vision to open hearts and minds towards people with intellectual disabilities and create inclusive communities all across British Columbia.
Special Olympics BC started in 1980 but Special Olympics has been a global movement longer than that.
The organization offers programs all across B.C.. In the Okanagan region, those programs include Kamloops, 麻豆AV, Keremeos, Revelstoke, Penticton, Salmon Arm, Shuswap (Chase and surrounding areas), South Okanagan (Oliver and Osoyoos), Summerland, and Vernon.
Leanne Kelly, the community development coordinator for this region, is also trying to re-start programs in Merritt, Princeton, and Clearwater as well.
If you are interested in making a huge difference in someone鈥檚 life through sports, Special Olympics BC may be the organization for you.
Originally from Vancouver, Leanne has been in 麻豆AV since 2018 and she started working for Special Olympics BC that same year.
鈥淚 was drawn to be part of the organization because I really enjoy advocating for health and physical activity for folks within the disability community,鈥� said Leanne. 鈥淢y role struck me as a great way to do this for those with an intellectual disability.
鈥淲e are separate from the paralympics/olympics, and actually run year-round programs.
鈥淥ur programs are for people with intellectual disabilities, and we have eligibility criteria that individuals have to meet to participate in our programs.鈥�
Volunteers play a key role in making the wide array of programs run in so many communities, Leanne says.
鈥淰olunteers are how we get programs to happen for our athletes.
鈥淭hey do the behind the scenes work on getting programs going by sitting on the local committee and booking facilities, recruiting coaches, volunteers and athletes, etc.鈥�
鈥淰olunteers also coach our sport programs that run from September to June each year. Without them, we wouldn鈥檛 be able to offer these opportunities for athletes.鈥�
All volunteers need to complete registration forms as well as a criminal record check to get involved. Most programs run from September to June of each year, split between winter and summer sports.
As the programs are a minimum of 12 weeks and many go longer than this, most volunteers tend to commit for medium or long-term stints, although Leanne says they鈥檙e making short-term opportunities available for volunteers as well. 鈥淲orking with the athletes is incredibly rewarding. You get to meet new individuals and change your mindset on the abilities and capabilities of our athletes.
鈥淵ou also get a chance to meet other volunteers across B.C. and potentially across Canada. There can also be some possible travel perks when going to competitions that are at no cost to the volunteer other than your time.鈥�
鈥淵ou will also be able to learn valuable and transferable skills.
鈥淲e provide lots of training and professional development opportunities.
鈥淰olunteering gives me a sense of purpose. I can give back to my community and create an inclusive environment for those I come in contact with.鈥�
For anyone interested in finding their purpose through volunteering, get in touch with Leanne at Lkelly@specialolympics.bc.ca and my phone number is 778-581-0511.
The BC Special Olympics website is https://www.specialolympics.ca/british-columbia.
Can volunteering help connect you to 鈥測our people?鈥� Find out by searching for your volunteer opportunity at www.volunteerconnector.org or contact us at www.kcr.ca.
Dorothee Birker is the communications & development manager for KCR Community Resources. Call 250-763-8008, ext. 254 or email dorothee@kcr.ca.
