EVENT volunteer opportunities

2026–2027 Competitions & Events

Help make Special Olympics Washington events possible!​

Find an event below to explore volunteer roles and shifts.

To register: Log in or create a volunteer account, then choose your event, role, and shift.

Before you sign up:

  • Ages 11–13: Must volunteer with an adult.

  • Ages 14–17: May volunteer independently in select roles.

  • Groups of 2 or more: Email volunteer@sowa.org for registration help.

Upcoming volulunteer opportunities

FALL 2026 - Registration in open!

  • Nov. 14: NW Region Bowling | Kenmore Lanes, Kenmore | View shifts

  • Nov. 15: SW Region Bowling | All Star Lanes, Silverdale | View shifts · Urgent need!

  • Nov. 15: Unified Robotics Championship | Liberty High School, Renton | View shifts

 

Canceled: The Nov. 13 Health Screenings & Education Night in Spokane Valley will be rescheduled.

winter 2027 - save the date!

Registration links will be added as volunteer opportunities are confirmed.

  • Jan. 17: NW Region Basketball | Marysville
  • Jan. 23: NW & SW Regions Cheer | Tumwater
  • Jan. 23: SW Region Basketball | Longview
  • Jan. 23: East Region Basketball | TBD, possibly Cheney
  • Jan. 24: NW Region Basketball | Kirkland
  • Jan. 24: SW Region Basketball | Tacoma
  • Jan. 24: East Region Basketball | Richland
  • Jan. 24: East Region Cheer | Kennewick
  • Jan. 30: NW Region Basketball | Auburn
  • Jan. 31: SW Region Basketball | Kelso
  • Feb. 6: East Region Basketball | TBD, possibly Cheney
  • Feb. 6: Unified Basketball, Districts 1 & 2 | Sammamish
  • Feb. 6: Unified Basketball, District 3 | Graham
  • Feb. 6: Unified Basketball, District 4 | Vancouver
  • Feb. 6: Polar Plunge | Tri-Cities
  • Feb. 7: NW Region Basketball | Marysville
  • Feb. 7: SW Region Basketball | Tacoma
  • Feb. 7: East Region Basketball | Richland
  • Feb. 13: Polar Plunge | Tacoma
  • Feb. 20: Polar Plunge | Anacortes
  • Feb. 27: Polar Plunge | North Sound/Lake Stevens
  • March 5–7: State Winter Games | Wenatchee
  • March 13: Polar Plunge | Seattle
  • March 20: Polar Plunge | Wenatchee

SPRING 2027 - save the date!

Registration links will be added as volunteer opportunities are confirmed.

  • April 17: NW Region – Swimming | Federal Way
  •  April 18: SW Region – Swimming | Federal Way 
  •  April 24: NW Region – Athletics / track & field | Tacoma
  •  April 24: NW Region – Soccer | Tacoma
  • April 25: SW Region – Athletics / track & field | Tacoma 
  •  April 25: SW Region – Soccer | Tacoma
  • May 1: East Region – Athletics | Cheney 
  •  May 8: East Region – Swimming | TBD, possibly Cheney
  •  May 8: Unified Soccer, Districts 1 & 2 | TBD generally King Co area
  • May 8: Unified Soccer, District 3 | TBD, generally Pierce Co area
  • May 8: Unified Soccer, District 4 | Camas 
  •  May 15: East Region – Soccer | TBD, possibly Othello
  • May 29: Unified Soccer State Championships | TBD 
  •  June 11-13, 2027: State Spring Games | Tacoma, Federal Way

Medical & first aid volunteers

Emergency Management Group WA provides comprehensive support to the Special Olympics Washington Regional and State Games, including risk management, consequence response, first aid and medical response, communications, and operations center services across the state. 

 

Requirements:  

  • Must be 18+ 
  • Current healthcare provider or certified in First Aid / CPR / AED 
  • Scheduled through our partners at Emergency Management Group of Washington 

Volunteer Grants

Did you know many companies support their employees’ volunteer efforts by offering volunteer grants or donations based on hours served? Some even extend these programs to retirees and family members!

By logging your volunteer hours with your employer, you could help unlock additional funding for Special Olympics Washington! Whether you volunteer once or regularly, your impact could be doubled or even tripled through these programs.

 Use the search field below to see if your company offers volunteer grants or donates based on hours volunteered.

getting started

Event Volunteers

Event volunteering is a great place to start if you are volunteering with us for the first time! To volunteer at an event, create or log into your Special Olympics Portal account where you can view and register for events near you. Reach out to volunteer@sowa.org for any questions!

  • Head to the Special Olympics Portal: https://portals.specialolympics.org
    (If you’ve volunteered in the past ~18 months, you can just log in.)
    • Tip: Your activation email may come from “Microsoft on behalf of Special Olympics B2C Production,” so check your spam folder just in case.
      If you don’t see it after a few minutes, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to help.
  • Click “Sign up for an Event”
  • Search or browse for your event
  • Choose your role and shift
  • Follow the prompts to complete registration

If anything feels confusing or you get stuck, just email volunteer@sowa.org and we’ll walk you through it (or take care of it with you).

  • Those under 14 may volunteer alongside an adult. Review “Family and Group Volunteering” for more details on registration.
  • Step 1: Have an adult create an account.
  • Step 2: Once created, email volunteer@sowa.org with the following:
    • Name listed on the account
    • City of residence
    • First name, last name, email (if applicable), and birthdays (if between 11-17) of your group members
    • Preferred event, date, and shift
  • Do you have a larger group of 10 or more?  Please contact us at volunteer@sowa.org so that we can find the perfect fit for your group!

FAQ's

Youth volunteers between ages 11 – 13 may volunteer with a parent or adult guardian. Teen volunteers between ages 14 – 17 may volunteer in select roles. Sky’s the limit for folks that are 18+!

We love volunteer groups! If you are new to our program:

  • Step 1: Have an adult create an account
  • Step 2: Once created, email volunteer@sowa.org with the following:
    • Name listed on the account
    • City of residence
    • First name, last name, email (if applicable), and birthdays (if between 11-17) of your group members
    • Preferred event, date, and shift
  • Do you have a larger group of 10 or more?  Please contact us at volunteer@sowa.org so that we can find the perfect fit for your group!

Class A volunteers are typically in close contact with athletes and/or handle money merchandise, fundraisers. These types of roles require background check as well as additional training. Class B volunteers do not require a background check, with some requiring additional training.

Yes! Feel free to send any verification forms to volunteer@sowa.org and/or reach out to us if you need help.

The portal is where all athletes and volunteers create an account and register to participate with Special Olympics Washington. Once an account is created, volunteers will be able to view opportunities to get involved.

Check out the Volunteer Greats section above for more information on matching volunteer hours!

For the safety and security of our athletes, families, fellow volunteers, and staff, all must be registered prior to participating. In addition to supporting the need to run background checks for select volunteer roles, confirming volunteer hours, and having contact information handy in the case of emergency, this registrat6ion information allows Special Olympics Washington to plan for and report accurate volunteer numbers when event planning as well as applying for grants.

We appreciate you taking the time and willingness to share this information with us!

Yes, however, you will be required to register on-site. Depending on pre-registrations, available volunteer roles may be limited.

We take data security very seriously. Your data is encrypted and stored securely. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Policy https://www.specialolympics.org/privacy-and-data-security-policy

Yes, you will be able to use your cell phone, laptop, iPad or computer to create your account and sign in.

Your email address is needed for account verification, password resets, and to communicate important
information regarding your registration process.

No, each email address can only be associated with one account to ensure each user has a unique identity. If you already created an account with an email, you might just need to sign in instead of creating a new one.

We appreciate your registration efforts and apologize for any issues you are having! Please reach out to us at volunteer@sowa.org for assistance. If you prefer to talk on the phone, feel free to share your preferred phone number and best day/time to call.

  • The minimum age to volunteer is 11 – ages 11-14 may volunteer with an adult. If new to our program:
    • Step 1: Have an adult create an account
    • Step 2: Once created, email volunteer@sowa.org with the following:
      • Name listed on the account
      • City of residence
      • First name, last name, email (if applicable), and birthdays (if between 11-17) of your group members
      • Preferred event, date, and shift

Let us know about your interests, skills, and talents under My Checklist > Add Your Skills so program staff can help match you

Questions About Volunteering

Have a special skill to share or curious about how to get involved? We’d love to connect. Whether you’re exploring opportunities, looking to use your talents, or just have questions, our team is here to help you find the right fit.