Latest News
SONC statewide Respect Rally postponed
Due to inclement weather, the 2019 Respect Rally has been postponed until Tuesday, April 2. Join North Carolina students and educators at Halifax Mall (adjacent to the Dept. of Public Instruction) in downtown Raleigh for a fun-filled celebration of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools featuring speakers, school-led entertainment, DJ dance party, and much more! The event is free and open to the public, but schools are asked to RSVP here.
Competition has begun at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games
Competition at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games has officially begun! Coverage is available throughout the week by ESPN. For more information about the North Carolina athletes’ competition schedules and live streaming, view North Carolina’s preview newsletter. In addition to the eight athletes and coaches, there are a large number of key volunteers representing North Carolina!
Special Olympics NC athletes prepare for Spring Games
Special Olympics NC athletes across the state are preparing to compete in local spring games in their communities. Local competitions will take place throughout the state over the next few months. View the complete Spring Games calendar for more information.
Test your strength for Special Olympics North Carolina
Show off your muscles for Special Olympics NC by participating in the 2019 Plane Pull on April 27 at RDU Airport! Teams of five will pull a 30,000-pound regional jet 25 feet in a race against the clock while raising valuable funds and awareness for SONC. Registration is now open so sign up today!
Athletes shine at SONC Cheerleading Tournament
Nearly 200 Special Olympics NC athletes and Unified partners showed off their skills at the 2019 Special Olympics North Carolina Cheerleading Tournament on Saturday, March 16 in Mocksville. Results and photos are now available
Become a Unified Champion School this year!
There are nearly 400 Unified Champion Schools in North Carolina and we want you to join them! The 2018-2019 Unified Champion Schools application is now available. Email UnifiedSchools@sonc.net for more information.
Special Olympics athletes receive free health screenings
Nearly 350 free sports physicals and health screenings were conducted for new and returning Special Olympics NC athletes throughout the month of March across four counties. Five more SONC health events are scheduled for the month of April with the potential to reach nearly 1,000 people with intellectual disabilities. Learn how you can get involved!
WBTV Athlete Spotlight: Kellie Hearne
Congratulations to Kellie Hearne for being recognized as WBTV’s March Athlete of the Month! Watch Kellie’s story here.
More News
Volunteer Opportunities
We have programs throughout the state with year-round programs. These are a few of the upcoming events.
Forysth County is looking for volunteers for their Spring Games April 10th-12th at Bishop McGuiness High School. Check out the opportunities and sign up here.
Mecklenburg County is actively looking for volunteers for their Spring Games in April and May. Check out the opportunities and sign up here.
Wake County is actively looking for volunteers for their Spring Games April 24th & 25th at Ravenscroft and May 1st & 2nd at Cary Academy. Check out the opportunities and sign up here.
Each program has a local committee that assists the Local Program Coordinator in all of their program needs. Click here to see what opportunities are available or visit your local program's page.
Special Olympics North Carolina is looking for volunteers to assist with our regional swimming competition on April 28th at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Please signup online or email volunteers@sonc.net with questions. All volunteers need to be 14 years of age or older. We welcome groups to join us as well.
Special Olympics North Carolina needs help throughout the year in our office and warehouse in the Raleigh area. We handle data entry for newly registered athletes and volunteers. We maintain a large warehouse with almost everything that you need for a sports event and use various items throughout the year so we need volunteers to keep it all in order. Please signup online or email volunteers@sonc.net with questions. We welcome groups of 4 or 5 to join us as well.
For information on coaching, volunteering at events, or getting involved with your local program, please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form! Volunteers will be added to our email database for information on future volunteer opportunities.
