As British Council offices around the world observed the organization’s 75th anniversary on 5 November 2009, our Washington, DC, office decided to mark the occasion by spending the day volunteering at the Special Olympics. The volunteering day was also the kick-off event for the USA community involvement initiative, which encourages all staff members to devote one half work day per quarter to an organization of their choice whose mission aligns with one of the British Council’s three pillars: intercultural dialogue, creative and knowledge economy or climate change.

Special Olympics is a global organization based in the United States whose mission is “to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”

British Council USA staff helped run the Special Olympics DC’s Fall Sports Classic at Catholic University in Northeast Washington, where more than 500 athletes competed in basketball, tennis and other sports. The athletes ranged in ages from 6 to early 20s and represented 23 public schools and one private school in the District of Columbia. The British Council ran the awards ceremonies for each competition, working with local police officers to announce the winners and cheer on the athletes during their sporting events. In exchange, we made new friends and received many enthusiastic hugs and smiles from the competitors.

“Volunteering with Special Olympics made sense for our office on many levels,” said Kate Anderson, Events and Projects Coordinator and the leader of Equal Opportunity and Diversity initiatives for the DC office. “It was a great opportunity to give back to the community and to connect with an aspect of EO&D, disability, on a human level. It’s also helped us promote work-life balance and British Council values within our office, while giving us the opportunity for a fulfilling team-building experience. Beyond the strategic reasons for volunteering, this opportunity gave us the chance to bond with some truly amazing kids. Watching the smiles, joy and pride on their faces as we presented each and every participant with an award for their hard work and achievement was inspirational, and those are moments none of us will forget.” The eleven British Council staff who attended the Special Olympics agreed that it was an appropriate way to mark our organization’s 75th anniversary, embodying the volunteerism, cultural exchange and sportsmanship that the British Council values. We hope to continue our work with the Special Olympics and Olympians in the future!