IF A voluntary secretary isn’t found by Wednesday November 13th, a Special Olympics young athlete club for children with intellectual disabilities will not go ahead in Skibbereen.
Mairéad O’Driscoll, who is the regional development officer with Special Olympics Munster (SOM) and happens to be a Skibbereen woman, confirmed that if they can’t get a secretary, the facility for children, ages four to 12, could go to another town.
There are a lot of towns throughout Munster that would like to have a community club that can draw on the support that Special Olympics Munster can provide, but to secure it the requisite number of volunteers is required, according to Mairéad.
‘All of the positions, except secretary, have been filled on a voluntary basis and we have secured the consent of Skibbereen Sports Centre to use their premises for coaching sessions,’ Mairéad told The Southern Star.
As a former student of Mercy Heights, Mairéad is keen on basketball and she, together with her friends, runs the basketball club in Skibbereen.
It was while doing one of their summer camps at the sports centre that she got the idea of establishing a young athlete club in Skibbereen because the nearest one is in Bandon.
Anyone who feels they can step up to the role in Skibbereen and help run a club that will have coaches taught by SOM tutors can contact Mairéad O’Driscoll on 085-8544137 or email [email protected].
‘Quite often parents of children with intellectual disabilities come to us saying there is nothing for their child locally,’ said Mairéad.
‘A young athlete club in Skibbereen would give children between the ages of four and 12 an introduction to fundamental movement skills. They can go on to compete in special Olympic events regionally and nationally, and if they were chosen to represent Ireland they would go to world games.’
