Thank you for your continued support of Special Olympics Washington and for your interest in volunteering. Your time and commitment help create meaningful experiences for athletes across our state, and we are so grateful to have you as part of our community!
Registration links for Spring Season volunteer opportunities across the state are listed below. Spring Season is our largest lift of the year and has so many great opportunities to volunteer as an individual, a family or a group! Approximately 2,000 volunteers will be needed for the 12 regular season events happening around Washington while another 2,000 volunteers will be needed just for State Games Weekend.
- No sports experience is needed – we’ll teach you anything you need to know.
- The minimum age to volunteer is 11 – Youth ages 11-13 must have an adult volunteer alongside them; Teens ages 14-17 may volunteer on their own in select roles. · Not sure what role you’d like to help with? Email volunteer@sowa.org and we’ll help you find the perfect fit!
New Volunteer? How to Register:
Step 1: Create a profile in the Special Olympics Portal: https://portals.specialolympics.org (or log in if you’ve volunteered in the last 18 months or so)
- Note: Your email activation code will be sent from “Microsoft on behalf of Special Olympics B2C Production.” Please be sure to check your spam folder as well.
- If you don’t receive an activation code within 5 minutes, you may want to check the security settings on your email…please mark msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com as a safe sender. If that STILL doesn’t work, please email me and I’ll create a basic account for you and you can finish it.
Step 2: On the landing page of your account, click on Sign up for an Event.
- Click on the event you’re looking for (or search by date)
- Select your role and shift and complete prompts
If you have ANY trouble registering, please email volunteer@sowa.org so that we can assist you.
*Individuals ages 14+ are encouraged to create their own profile and register on their own unless requested by the Volunteer Team to reach out directly.
**Groups of 2 or more persons are asked to start the process but let the Volunteer Team finish registering for you. (The portal’s developers are reworking the group registration process but until then, it’s easier if we take care of the hard part for you).
- An adult or Group Lead creates a complete profile in the portal, using the link above, but do NOT register for the event itself.
- Email SOWA staff at volunteer@sowa.org
- Please use the email you used to create your account in the portal.
- Please include the following information:
- Your first/last name
- List the names of any others joining you (include as many emails as possible)
- Indicate the ages of anyone 11—17 (actual Date of Births are preferred)
- Their cities of residence
- Preferred Date/Event/Shift
SOFTBALL COACHES NEEDED (Shoreline) – Summer Season 2026
Applications are currently being accepted for at least one (1) volunteer Head Coach and at least one (1) volunteer Assistant Coach to support an established softball team in the Shoreline area of Seattle. Previous experience coaching/playing softball is not required; knowledge of softball and its general rules preferred. Volunteer coaches must be at least 18 years old.
- DATES OF COMMITTMENT: June 1 – August 8
- PRACTICE DAYS: Tuesdays & Thursdays
- TIME REQUIREMENT at PRACTICES: 5:30-8pm
- LOCATION: Shoreline
Interested volunteers will need to apply for this role through the registration portal AND complete the required items before being contacted with the next steps. For instructions on how to complete the items required to become a coach, please click here: Instructions for Completing Coach Requirements
After completing the coach requirements, CLICK HERE to be directed to the application on the volunteer registration portal.
If you have difficulties creating an account in the portal, please email volunteer@sowa.org but all interested volunteers must apply through the portal. Emails expressing interest will be directed to complete the steps above.
We hope you will consider applying to support these Shoreline athletes out on the softball diamond this summer!
SAVE THE DATES – Summer Season 2026
Summer Season is just around the corner. While volunteer registration isn’t open yet, please feel free to mark your calendars and plan on volunteering, either as an individual, family or larger school/service/corporate group. Watch for announcements of when registration will open.
- Saturday, August 8 NW Region – Bocce / Softball Everett
- Saturday, August 8 East Region – Golf Cheney
- Sunday, August 9 SW Region – Bocce / Softball Tacoma
- Saturday, August 15 East Region – Softball Tri-Cities
- Saturday, August 22 NW & SW Regions – Golf Spanaway/Tacoma
- Saturday, August 22 East Region – Bocce Moses Lake
Contact Us
Do you work for a company that would like to learn about group volunteer opportunities? Does your school, sports team, community organization or faith community? Want to be added to the weekly volunteer mailing list? Please contact the Volunteer Team at volunteer@sowa.org. Thank you for your interest in supporting our athletes!
Resources
- Are you a volunteer between the ages of 11-13? Please have a parent or guardian apply for the Event Volunteer Group Lead role prior to registering for a shift. Please refer to Register a Group for step-by-step instructions.
- Interested in other volunteer roles?
- Review the Become a Volunteer Leader page and apply for other volunteer roles under Do More with Special Olympics (find more specifics of when and where under Sign Up for An Event)
- Currently recruiting for Winter Season (Nov 2025 – March 2026): https://portals.specialolympics.org/event-details/?id=e691f9fb-de72-f011-bec3-000d3a30b017
- Questions or need support? Email us at volunteer@sowa.org or submit a request: bit.ly/SOWA-PortalSupport.
- Have other skills and talents you’d like to share? Let us know about your interests, skills, and talents under My Checklist > Add Your Skills so program staff can help match you
- Still having trouble? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to volunteer@sowa.org and let us know how we can help!