Special Olympics seeks volunteers for Spring Games

With Burke County Special Olympics’ annual spring games coming up in early May, the organization is searching for volunteers to make the two-day event special for the athletes.

Special Olympics coordinators Alex Bustle and Kim Michaels said that, this year, there are 300 athletes participating in the Spring Games — a sharp increase from the 75 or so that participated in 2023, the duo’s first year coordinating the event together.

Day one is on May 7, and will be for elementary students. Day two is May 8, and is for middle school students, high school students, and members of the community.

The events will take place at Robert L. Patton High School, at 701 Enola Road in Morganton. There will be an opening ceremony that includes a parade, a torch run, a torch pass, lighting the cauldron, and the national anthem. Next on the schedule are field events, lunch, and then track events.

Volunteers are needed to help with concessions, giving awards, and other parts of the event. Bustle and Michaels encourage people to volunteer outside the spring games, too.

“A lot of times people have this misconception that you have to be this expert-level athlete in order to coach somebody, but really it’s, ‘Are you passionate about teaching people with disabilities? Are you passionate about a sport?’ We can teach you how to coach people,” Bustle said.

It isn’t just coaching that volunteers can help with, though.

“We need people to help us with fundraising and just all sorts of other things,” Bustle said. “So if somebody has a passion and a skill for that, then we would love to partner up.”