Volunteer Today for Special Olympics at Huntington
As planning for the Long Island region's annual Special Olympics Spring Games North at Huntington High School enters its final stages, organizers believe there will be plenty of fun to go around on Sunday, April 15 when thousands of athletes, family members and friends turn out for a day of competition at Blue Devil Stadium.
The event is expected to draw a large contingent of Huntington students, some of whom have starred in past Special Olympics events. Huntington physical education teachers are being trained as coaches for the day and many other faculty and staff members have already signed up as volunteers, as have dozens of community residents.
"There is a need for many more volunteers to help make this a great day for all the kids," said Georgia D. McCarthy, Huntington's district director of physical education, health and interscholastic athletics. "Be assured, volunteering is one of the most rewarding experiences a person will ever have."
There are a variety of volunteer activities to choose from. To register as a volunteer log onto the Huntington School District's website at www.hufsd.edu and look for the link to the Special Olympics Spring Games North web page.
Volunteers are needed to assist with setting up the day before the event, helping out with checking-in volunteers and coaches, assisting with lunch distribution, helping set up the Olympic Village the morning of the competition, staffing an entertainment booth, helping with the opening ceremonies, including set-up, decorating and coordinating the parade of athletes, and coordinating their activities and helping out with the track events, softball throw, shot put, turbo javelin, standing and running long jumps, tennis, awards presentation and breaking down the event following its conclusion.
Over the past four decades the Special Olympics has been transformed from a backyard summer camp for people with intellectual disabilities to a global movement that has changed lives and attitudes, according to the Special Olympics' website.
For information about Huntington's involvement in the Special Olympics on April 15, contact Mrs. McCarthy at 673-2018 or gmccarthy@hufsd.edu.