Without the help of 20,000 volunteers, Special Olympics Michigan could not run
FLINT -- Sheila Gafney doesn't care much for the sport of hockey... at least on the ice.
"I don't even like going to go to watch ice hockey," Gafney said. "I know that's odd, but I love doing this."
'This' meaning being the head coach of the ELKC bulldog poly hockey team in Flint, one of 23 Special Olympic sports offered throughout the state.
"When I started here 25 years ago, my para professional said, 'Hey, we are doing hockey next.' I said, OK, tell me about it."
More than two decades later, Gafney is still at the helm, leading young adults through sport, helping them develop vital life skills.
"Sheila is great," said Craig Hatton, a parent to one of of Gafney's players. " She tells them when they get here certain things they need to do like get their uniforms on. It gives them independence.
Gafney is one face out of 20,000 volunteers here in Michigan who coach, chaperone, fund raise, and give of their time to help make the year 'round Special Olympics programs run.
"[Special Olympics] teaches life," Pat Peters, area director for Genesee and Lapeer counties said. "It teaches winning and losing, it teaches you to work as a team."
Without the help of Special Olympics volunteers though, 20,000 athletes in Michigan might not get the opportunity to compete.
But Gafney doesn't take any credit.
These are special kids," she said. "It has nothing to do with me. They're the ones out there. I'm just able to provide that for them."
If you're looking to get involved, head to the Special Olympics Michigan Web site for more information: Special Olympics Michigan
NBC 25 will be also getting involved in February when the Winter Games occur in Traverse City, we will also be apart of the Polar Plunge fundraising effort.
