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Special Olympics NWT Chosen for Community Voice Fund

Special Olympics NWT has just become the second recipient of the True North FM Community Voice Fund.

The Community Voice Fund is an initiative we at True North FM launched with the help of the Gahcho Kue Mine, De Beers Group, and Mountain Province Diamonds. Every month, one non-profit organization in Yellowknife or Hay River is selected to receive one month of free advertising.

The non-profit selected for January 2023 is Special Olympics NWT.

Lexi Letzing is a representative for Special Olympics NWT. She shared some of the main services that the organization provides to the community.

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“We provide inclusive sport programming opportunities to athletes ages 2 to 99 with an intellectual disability. So we currently only offer programming in Yellowknife, but we are open to volunteers starting other chapters and affiliates across the NWT. We just need that volunteer base to get started and we are definitely hopeful of opportunities expanding into other communities across the North.”

Lexi also helped to explain the clear distinction between Special Olympics and Paralympics. She stated that Special Olympics are designed for individuals who have intellectual disabilities, while Paralympics offer sport programming for individuals who have a physical disability. While the two can sometimes overlap, Lexi explained that offering different programs can help to show the difference for those who may not be aware.

Lexi shared some of the roles that volunteers can take within the organization.

“There’s a couple different volunteer routes you can take. You can do something called an Event Volunteer, so if we’re having a special event like our year-end barbecue or a fundraising initiative, we bring them in for those events to help aid in the operation. Then there’s also coach and program volunteers. All of our programs are ran solely by volunteers, so they really are the heartbeat of the organization.”

For those who would be interested in becoming a volunteer, Special Olympics NWT has both a Facebook page, and a website, SONWT.ca, where more information can be found.

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