Volunteers (white jackets) at the Alpine skiing venue at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games congratulate Special Olympics Austria's Josef Schnegg after one of his races. Schnegg, an advanced skier, won a gold medal in the Giant Slalom and Slalom, and a silver in the Downhill. Volunteers for the World Games numbered 10,900 — the oldest volunteer was 80 years old and the youngest, 15. [Photo Kishimoto] Join the more than 700,000 Special Olympics volunteers around the world by contacting your local Program. Special Olympics would not exist today — and could not have been created — without the time, energy, commitment and enthusiasm of its volunteers. As a grass-roots organization, Special Olympics relies on volunteers at all levels of the movement to ensure that every athlete is offered a quality sports training and competition experience. "Special Olympics athletes are just so great. To supply the opportunity for them to be stars, they just shine, they just touch your heart...It's like a treasure. I really appreciate it and I love it.”      Meet Takuro Horikawa, volunteer at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan Special Olympics volunteers can get involved at the state/provincial, national or international level, or offer their services locally at a Special Olympics Program in their community. Some volunteers offer a few hours of their time a year at specific events, while others work several hours a week year-round. Whatever your interests, talents, background and availability, there are volunteer opportunities for you, from a one-day stint as a scorekeeper at an athletic event to licensed health care providers volunteering their time to provide event-based health opportunities for athletes through the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® initiative. A Special Smiles volunteer demonstrates brushing skills to an athlete at the First Special Olympics Latin America Games, 25 March-2 April 2006, where 100 volunteer medical professionals carried out vision, hearing and health screenings. [Photo by Dr. Stephen Corbin] Volunteering for Special Olympics can create lifelong friendships and rewards of immeasurable value. For proof, look no further than Ireland — Special Olympics is still in their blood. Veteran volunteers from the 2003 Summer Games banded together to raise funds and elected to send a self-funded volunteer contingent to every future World Games anywhere in the world, aiming to both support Team Ireland and work in whatever capacity needed at the Games. Twenty-six Irish volunteers assisted at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.       < More on the Irish volunteers > The Special Olympics volunteer pool is dedicated and diverse. Volunteers include: civic and fraternal groups, licensed health care providers, high school and college students, amateur and professional athletes, sports officials, coaches, teachers, retirees, parents, and corporate employees. An extraordinary example of the latter is found with the Otis Elevator Company. Team Otis, initiated in 1994, was flourishing companywide in less than a year's time. More than 1,600 Otis employees in 35 countries comprise Team Otis, whose members bring their special brand of dedication, enthusiasm and fun to Special Olympics athletes around the world. “When the event gets off the ground and you see the joy on the faces of the athletes, you forget the countless hours involved in making it happen," said Anahita Gignoux, Team Otis volunteer with Special Olympics France. "Volunteering is definitely worthwhile. Everyone should experience it.” As a Special Olympics volunteer you will take pride in knowing that you are an important part of a global movement that provides athletes with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to experience the excitement, joy and personal fulfillment associated with sport training and competition. Volunteer with Special Olympics and make a difference in the lives of more than 2.5 million athletes, their families and your community. To learn more about volunteering or to offer your services, contact your local Special Olympics Program. To locate a Program near you, use our Program Locator.