Connecting Personal Responsibility to Civic Identity & Social Action

Being on the cross country and track and field teams at Parkside has provided me with so many opportunities to volunteer, with my favorite of these opportunities being able to participate in the yearly Special Olympics field trip to Parkside.  During this field trip, athletes from Special Olympics Wisconsin are able to come into the fieldhouse and participate in sports and other recreational activities, which are all ran by the Parkside student-athlete volunteers.  We set up basketball games, soccer games, races around the track, musical chairs, and a face painting station and the athletes are able to do whatever they like, while being accompanied by their friends and other student-athlete volunteers.

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After my first year of volunteering at this particular event, I knew it was something that I was going to make sure I set aside time for to do again, and not only that, but look into other volunteer opportunities with the Special Olympics as this one experience had really opened my eyes on inclusion.  I recently attended the Special Olympics 50th Anniversary Celebration in Chicago, Illinois, where I was able to hear stories form local Special Olympians, as well as listen to people like Michael Phelps speak about his organization under the Special Olympics, and why inclusion as well as the organization was so important to him.

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Since my first volunteer experience with Special Olympics Wisconsin, I've volunteered at various running events in which the Special Olympics is a part of.  These events are not only eye-opening for the volunteer, but it truly does make the athletes involved feel included and in turn encourages so much empowerment through them.  I genuinely look forward to continuing to volunteer my time to this organization, and watching the Global Day of Inclusion turn into a lifetime of inclusion for these athletes.