Number of Participants: 1
Hours Donated: 2
Value of Time Served: $17
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Girls Basketball
Date: January 21, 2022
Location:
Ursuline Academy
Lowder Street, Dedham
MA
About:
I am someone who has always enjoyed service projects and helping others, so when the Special Olympics held a Unified Basketball event at Ursuline, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it. The event involved two of my favorite things, volunteering and playing basketball. I knew that volunteering at a Special Olympics in October was a way to serve that would really mean a lot to me. I view service opportunities as chances to grow individually and learn more about myself, rather than thinking of them as a way to get service hours. Being a member of Ursuline’s varsity basketball team made this day more exciting because I was able to teach others a sport that I love. I have volunteered with children with special needs before, but since the pandemic has limited my time volunteering, I was really excited to be a part of this day.
Unified Basketball is a way for teenagers with special needs to form connections with their peers while joining a community that is full of support and dedication that is hard to find in other places. The Massachusetts organization for Unified Basketball is incredible because it gives kids an opportunity to interact with one another and have some fun! This program holds basketball games for teams all over the state to come together and compete. There are evaluations of the games by members of the Unified Basketball organization that look over teams and see which group demonstrates the most teamwork and hard work as a group. They are not looking for the most talented team with a single star player, but a group that truly works together to play as a team during the games. After the evaluations, the team that shows the most teamwork travels to Orlando, Florida for a nationwide Special Olympics competition.
My role at the event involved operating the scoreboard and the book. The games I kept score for were very close and it was so exciting to watch the drive to win as the clock counted down. Unified Basketball creates an atmosphere of competition and hard work while also allowing everyone to come together to have fun and achieve goals. The athletes playing in these games are some of the most driven, ambitious kids I have ever seen. I have met some of the most genuine, kind people while volunteering and I cherish these moments all the time. The pure good of the coaches and other volunteers at this Special Olympics event showed me that this organization means a lot to so many people, and I am grateful I got to be a part of it. It amazes me how the athletes are so enthusiastic to step up and play in these games with one another. I can tell that this is a good time for everyone because every single person in the gym had a smile on their face! It was so clear that coming together for this day meant a lot to everyone involved.