Welcome to Special Olympics Wake County!
Special Olympics Wake County partners with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department. With nearly 2,500 athletes training and competing year-round in Wake County, our local program is among the largest and most active in North Carolina. We offer training in 15 seasonal sports and host several local school-based competitions throughout the year.
Want to become a Special Olympics Wake County athlete?
Athletes interested in getting involved should complete this athlete interest survey. Once submitted, you will be added to our email list, and notified at the start of each registration period for our upcoming seasonal sports.
Special Olympics North Carolina offers training and competition in 20 Olympic-type sports. See the sports here. Local program sport offerings vary based on athlete interest, coaches and facility availability. To find out what sports are offered by this program, contact the local program coordinator.
School Guide to Participating with Special Olympics Wake County
Each school year, Special Olympics Wake County invites local schools to participate in Basketball Skills (Fall) and Spring Games (Spring) competitions. If you are a teacher, and want more information on how to register your class for one of the following events, please contact us.
Spring Training Materials
- Trip permission form – required if an athlete will be riding on any City of Raleigh vehicles
- Sport information – contains all of the sports and the associated training schedules/locations
- Sport registration form – to be completed and submitted by February 26 by anyone interested in training in sports this season
Are you interested in having a Special Olympics athlete at your event or meeting? There are two Athlete Leadership roles that you can request!
Global Messengers
Global Messengers are Special Olympics athletes who have been trained in public speaking to serve as ambassadors for the organization. They can recruit potential athletes, volunteers and sponsors through public presentations.
Athlete Ambassadors
Athlete Ambassadors are representatives for Special Olympics North Carolina at functions that often have businesses or individuals that have donated money, food, etc. to Special Olympics NC and this is a way to thank them. Ambassadors are able to say thank you and show our appreciation while at events.
To schedule a Global Messenger or Athlete Ambassador appearance, please contact the local coordinator.
Since athletes never pay a fee to participate in Special Olympics, donations and sponsorships allow our program to purchase seasonal sport equipment, pay facility rental fees, purchase uniforms, and pay for travel (hotels, competition registration fees, etc.). Contact us if you are interested in being a sponsor of our program. We would love your support!
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools bring youth with and without intellectual disabilities together through sports and education to create school communities of acceptance and respect. Unified Champion Schools are seen through every level of education (Pre-K/Head Start through college) and are driven by youth and staff leaders.
Volunteer in Wake County!
Volunteers are the foundation of Special Olympics Wake County, making all that we do possible! We are currently looking for volunteer coaches, local competition event volunteers, sponsors and more!
If you are interested in coaching with Special Olympics Wake County, please complete the following volunteer interest survey.
Get in touch with us!
Local Program Coordinator
Abbey DeFeo
919-719-7662 ext. 125
Email: wake@sonc.net
Community Resource Director – East
Shauna Hines-Farmer
919-719-7662 ext. 122
VP of Community Resources
Lindsay Waldron
704-358-1935 x161
