The Moose Jaw Special Olympics (MJSO) committee is looking for coaches and volunteers for this season — no experience is necessary and extensive training will be provided by Special Olympics Saskatchewan.
Special Olympics Saskatchewan has been operating in Moose Jaw for at least 50 years. The organization provides people with intellectual disabilities the chance to experience competition, develop physical skill and fitness, create friendships and community, and demonstrate courage and perseverance.
“Our biggest thing right now is we’d really like to get our youth programs running again, because there are a lot of kids in this town who would go to those programs if they could. We just don’t have the coaches for it,” explained Melissa Romanow, chairperson of the MJSO committee.
Registration for programs is at Riverview Collegiate in South Hill on Thursday, Sept. 8. Participants should register between 5 and 7 p.m.
The annual general meeting of MJSO will follow registration from 7 to 8 p.m.
“Then the programs are starting up,” Romanow continued. “They’re all on different dates, but we have bowling, curling, and floor hockey starting for the winter session.”
The youth programs that especially need volunteers and coaches are for ages two to 12. While no experience is needed, a criminal record check needs to be submitted, and individuals should be patient, responsible, and organized.
The time commitment is one to two hours per session, one session a week, for 12 weeks.
“We need people to teach the basics of movement, like learning how to kick and throw, and we use games and songs to do that. You need to be able to modify drills according to people’s abilities.
“Even if people just want to reach out if they’re interested, and we could talk and I’ll explain more and see if it’s a good fit,” Romanow said.
Courses available for volunteers include Making Ethical Decisions, Respect in Sport, and Special Olympics Competition Sport.
MJSO will be fundraising this fall to send athletes to Prince Albert for the Saskatchewan Special Olympics Winter Games in January.
Reach out to Moose Jaw Special Olympics at cec@mjspecialolympics.org for more information.
