Kelly Wiley

Orientation Speech

COM 345

Special Olympics of North Carolina (NHC)

Good Morning! Welcome to the Special Olympics of North Carolina new volunteer orientation located in the heart of the city of Wilmington in the county of New Hanover. My name is Kelly Wiley and I am dedicated volunteer here at the local office. I would like to say how happy I am that you have chosen our organization to be a part of as we grow on a yearly basis. As for today’s meeting I am going to give you a quick overview of our organization and what the community can be involved with.

First off I would to speak on the origins of our organization and how much it has grown from day one. Our elite organization began in 1968 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the first International Special Olympics games in Chicago, the idea of Special Olympics came about when Shriver was working in day camps. While Shriver worked in day camps that were uniquely formed for people with intellectual disabilities she incorporated sports. She saw that they had the same potential to thrive in physical activities than the experts had thought. From the first games that were held in Chicago in 1968 until 1970 when they were held in our state of North Carolina millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities participated in Special Olympics. As we speak here today Special Olympics is in all 50 states of the United States and in over 160 nations around the world which serves over 2.5 million people yearly. The number of participants that are in North Carolina is over 38,000 athletes and continues to grow yearly.

Even though our organization is as large as it is nationally/internationally our state’s expectations coexist with our goal which is “For all persons with intellectual disabilities to have the chance to become useful and productive citizens who are accepted and respected in their communities.” There are nearly 100 accredited local programs serving every county in the state which includes New Hanover County. Our local program is managed by local coordinator who is Jonathan Batts who therefore oversees all aspects of the organization. Mr. Batts deals with the athlete registration, sports training (i.e. practices weekly, booking venues for the practices), and social events. The way in which our organization does this is through interaction with the community, volunteer, and staff of Special Olympics. As an organization we want to share the experience not just with the athletes but with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Making the athletes feel as they are a vital part of the community in which they are a part of on a daily basis. Every year we offer 11 sports which include soccer, basketball, aquatics, bocce, softball, golf, tennis, power lifting, roller skating, and bowling that then lead to local, regional and state competitions in which the athletes use the skills in which they have learned and have known to win medals and ribbons. Also, while at these competitions there are other activities to attend dances and social get-togethers. The people who help in planning the social get-togethers also with the organization of the competition venues are the volunteers. The volunteers are compiled together make the experience for the athletes and spectators memorable.

Volunteer are can be individuals, groups, families…anyone can volunteer in this program. Special Olympics is an organization that thrives off its volunteers. Without the volunteers at the events it would not be easy for the coordinators to have the events go smoothly with such high quality as they do with them. Volunteers do a variety of things such as help in fundraising, coordinating events, coach athletes, give office support, volunteer the day of the events, serve on local program committees, and help with sport development and so many other aspects.

Many volunteers turn into coaches for the multiple sports offered through Special Olympics and that is where many of them get recognized by our organization for their achievements. Therefore as being a coach to the athletes they play a unique and indispensable role in the success of the Special Olympics of North Carolina. The coaches of the athletes serve as role models for the athletes as well as providing important sport skills and instructions on how to complete the task in which they strive to achieve. Being a coach entails the role model aspect because the coaches whom were volunteers at one point and time now encourage and inspire them to reach their potential in both sports and life together. Coaches have the unique opportunity to work with athletes in competitive situations to assist in their training for life.

Striving for excellence is an aspect that the coaches and volunteers want to complete with each athlete. Besides the obvious medals and ribbons the athletes receive at competitions the coaches find that the personal rewards received are equal to or even outweigh the benefits they offer the athletes.

For a volunteer that wants to become a coach has to go through a training program in order to become a Certified Special Olympics Coach. A coach must be at least 18 years-old to become certified, anyone 14 years and above can attend the training school and anyone 16 years and older can be a Class A volunteer. The purpose of this training is so that the coach has the knowledge and tools to train athletes according to the guidelines in the aspect of sport, safety and Special Olympic guidelines. The training consists of four processes which are general orientation, protective behaviors (education on how to recognize and handle signs of abusive behavior), sports specific skills course, and ten practicum hours. After the person has become certified they have an opportunity to grow and become an Advanced Certified Coach.

In closing there are an immense amount of opportunities for the community to get involved with Special Olympics of North Carolina in New Hanover County. With the information provided in this orientation I am sure you have questions and want to learn more about our organization, but I hope I have given you the general idea of what we are all about. We as an organization strive to be all that we can be in our endeavors and make the experience for everyone that is unforgettable, and we work together to improve the athlete’s lifelong dream of belonging to something that builds dreams.