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Daniel Stevee Nájera, tired but happy at the Closing Ceremonies of the First Special Olympics Latin America Games, has been a Special Olympics El Salvador volunteer for more than seven years. |
Daniel Stevee Nájera, 22, began volunteering for Special Olympics El Salvador to fulfill school social service hours seven years ago — and has never left.
He went through the Special Olympics El Salvador Volunteer School, where new recruits are trained once a week for two months before they may work with athletes. Nájera volunteered as an assistant in a weekly aquatics program, then spent two more years volunteering in athletics, and eventually become a volunteer trainer himself.
Several years ago, he traveled with a group to Guatemala to volunteer at the national Special Olympics games there. For the 25 March-2 April 2006 First Special Olympics Latin America Games in San Salvador (the first time that Regional Games were held in Latin America), Nájera was responsible for the recruitment and two-month long training of Delegation Assistant Leaders (DALs) assigned to the international delegations.
Going forward, Nájera is thinking of becoming a certified Special Olympics coach, if he can find the time — he works full time coordinating airplane maintenance schedules for TACA Airlines, studies English at the university five evenings a week, and volunteers with Special Olympics on Saturdays.
When asked what he would say to recruit a prospective volunteer, Stevee was visibly moved as he expressed his feelings about Special Olympics athletes: “Working with these people, you learn so much, and no dream is unreachable. You will experience responsibility, love, respect, and caring as you become involved," he said. "It makes you feel so good to help them reach their goals…and they always make you feel so good!”
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