North Carolina
Special Olympics is a global organization that serves more than 3.4 million athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering.
The Power of Sport. For every Special Olympics athlete, there are many more waiting for their chance. Help us reach one more person who wants to participate.Donate today.
Special Olympics North Carolina serves nearly 40,000 registered athletes and has an accredited local program in every county making it one of the largest and most respected Programs in the world.
It’s at the local level--right here--where interested volunteers meet the athletes. That’s where the perceptions start to change and where the miracle of transformation takes place.
Many people know that Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.
What’s not as widely known is that Special Olympics sporting events occur frequently throughout the year. In 2009, for example, there were more than 44,000 competitions around the world, an average of 121 a day.
Hundreds of thousands of coaches, educators and volunteers worldwide offer their time to train athletes, organize those competitions and plan those events. When you see the seriousness and sense of purpose evident in each Special Olympics athletic event, a window of understanding opens.
Love a sport? You might be able to play that sport on a mixed team of people with and without intellectual disabilities. Good with a camera? Come take photos. Organizational skills? Help us plan events.
Do you simply want to meet some of the most amazing people in the world? Get in touch with us today!
Areas Served
Alamance County, Alexander County, Alleghany County, Anson County, Ashe County, Avery County, Beaufort County, Bertie County, Bladen County, Brunswick County, Buncombe County, Burke County, Cabarrus County, Caldwell County, Camden County, Carteret County, Caswell County, Catawba County, Chatham County, Cherokee County, Chowan County, Clay County, Cleveland County, Columbus County, Craven County, Cumberland County, Currituck County, Dare County, Davidson County, Davie County, Duplin County, Durham County, Edgecombe County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Gaston County, Gates County, Graham County, Granville County, Greene County, Guilford County, Halifax County, Harnett County, Haywood County, Henderson County, Hertford County, Hoke County, Hyde County, Iredell County, Jackson County, Johnston County, Jones County, Lee County, Lenoir County, Lincoln County, Macon County, Madison County, Martin County, McDowell County, Mecklenburg County, Mitchell County, Montgomery County, Moore County, Nash County, New Hanover County, Northampton County, Onslow County, Orange County, Pamlico County, Pasquotank County, Pender County, Perquimans County, Person County, Pitt County, Polk County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Robeson County, Rockingham County, Rowan County, Rutherford County, Sampson County, Scotland County, Stanly County, Stokes County, Surry County, Swain County, Transylvania County, Tyrrell County, Union County, Vance County, Wake County, Warren County, Washington County, Watauga County, Wayne County, Wilkes County, Wilson County, Yadkin County, Yancey County