Volunteer - Collection Day 2026

On 18 September in ROI, and 25th September in Northern Ireland, Special Olympics will be holding its largest community fundraiser of the year across 115+ locations.

Please give a few hours of your time and help make a real difference. 

Special Olympics provides inclusion, community, and life-changing opportunities through sport for people with intellectual disabilities. For many athletes, it offers a sense of belonging, confidence, and opportunities they might not otherwise have.

We urgently need volunteers to support our Collection Day. Just a few hours of your time can help ensure these vital programmes continue to reach those who need them most.

Why get involved

Pushing for more athletes to be included: There are over 109,000 people in Ireland with an intellectual disability, we currently support over 6700 through sport, but we would love to include so many more athletes in this figure. Your support will help us to offer sports opportunities, friendship and the chance to belong to the athletes who are still waiting on the side lines

Supporting Skills at a Young Age: The need is urgent – research shows that 77% of children aged 4-12 with an intellectual disability can’t kick a ball. Not because of their disability, but because they haven’t had the chance. Special Olympics programmes, like Young Athletes, are breaking down these barriers. Jack in the image here, has really thrived in young athletes. Your support helps other athletes to do do the same!