Everyone can contribute to Special Olympics Sarasota County, regardless of age,
background or experience. No matter how much or how little time you have to give,
when you volunteer, you will be making a difference in the lives of our athletes and this movement. But more importantly, you'll find that you will get more out of your volunteer experience than you put in -- it is something that has to be experienced to be believed.

Because the array of programs, services and opportunities that we offer are so vast,
we're sure you'll find something to suit your interests and availability! So let's help you
get started...

There are two basic kinds of Special Olympics volunteers. A Volunteer Registration
Form is required of each type of volunteer and both Class A and B volunteers must
be able to show a valid photo ID at the time of registration.

CLASS B

The first is a Class B or "day-of" volunteer who volunteers just on the day of events
and competitions and has no sustained interaction with our athletes. These are
what we call "walk-on" volunteers, meaning no prior experience or greater
involvement with Special Olympics is required, and they are essential to Special
Olympics Sarasota County being able to host and run competitions.

Class B volunteers ages 15 and younger are welcome but must be accompanied
by a parent or adult volunteer.

When volunteering at a local or area competition in Sarasota County, the Class B
form is available either prior to the competition or on-site the day of the games.

CLASS A

The second type of volunteer is a Class A volunteer. Class A volunteers are
typically coaches and/or chaperones; people who have sustained interaction
with our athletes and have made a more prolonged commitment to the program
(e.g., are a coach and therefore have committed 2-3 months a year to volunteering).

IMPORTANT

Do not apply to be a Class A volunteer until you first speak with the County
Coordinator to see what you are interested in doing in order to determine if
you should be a Class A or Class B volunteer. This will save you and your
local program time and paperwork.

Please read the Special Olympics Inc. Volunteer Screening Policy which was
developed to safeguard our athletes and volunteers. (You will find this policy on
our "Forms" page of this website.)

PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS TRAINING

Special Olympics, Inc. developed the Protective Behaviors Training as a tool to
assist with protecting Special Olympics athletes from abuse.

All Class A volunteers must complete Protective Behaviors Training. If you do
not have the means to take the test online, please contact our office,
941-412-0402, and we will provide you with the necessary materials and
instruction.

While the Protective Behaviors training is only requisite for Class A volunteers and
staff, for the safety and health of our athletes and everyone involved with Special
Olympics, we encourage anyone interested in taking the training to do so: families,
athletes, day-of volunteers, etc. It requires the assistance of everyone involved in our organization to help keep our athletes safe from abuse. Special Olympics Florida
will keep a record of everyone who takes the training.

You can access the training video by going to the "Forms" section of this website
or go directly to:  http://www.specialolympics.org/protective_behaviors.aspx