The Importance Of Volunteering At Special Olympics

898 Words2 Pages

For my community agency hours I chose to volunteer with the Special Olympics. I chose this agency because my high school always hosted Special Olympics and I enjoyed volunteering every year as a buddy. Going into their experience I did not know what to expect since it was on the weekend and not at my high school as I was used to. The event took place on April 30th at Westminster Christian Academy. It was a long day, but definitely worth it. I was paired with a 45 year old male named Kevin who I suspect had Down Syndrome. This experience was different from all my other volunteering with Special Olympics in the matter that my buddy was not a child, but a grown adult. I found that having an adult had both its challenges and advantages. I found …show more content…

First, it reminds me to not take my life for granted. While day to day life may seem stressful or like life 's not fair, it reminds me that I could be blind or not have the privilege to be able to take care of myself independently. It also left me with the thought of smile. Just smiling at someone makes them feel better about who they are. I would smile at the athletes and the smile they gave me back was so much bigger and brighter. A smile can change someone’s dark day into their best day of their life. It also leaves me with the word of encourage. As a future educator I will have students who have special needs that are afraid to interact with their classmates due to fear of being made fun of. I hope to create an atmosphere where all students feel equal and see beyond one’s special needs. I want to make every student feel confident in themselves and know they are capable of whatever they dream. I want to have my students without special needs have relationships with special needs students to create a bond and make the environment one where everyone is accepted for who they are and who are proud of who they

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