URCAD Sneak Peek: Peerada Phoomsiri

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:01:32 -0400

Peerada Phoomsiri will present her resarch at URCAD on Wednesday, April 22 from 9:40-9:55am in RAC 230.

Title: Rewarding Relationships: An Ethnographic Study of Volunteers with the Special Olympics

Mentor: Bambi Chapin, Anthropology

Abstract:

Giving those with intellectual disabilities a chance to shine in athletic settings is exactly what the Special Olympics aims to do. But what about the volunteers who help make these events possible? Volunteer work with the Special Olympics is described by the organization as “rewarding for all” and “about creating lifelong friendships.” This research aimed to study these friendships created in an athletic setting by engaging in participant observation through the role of a volunteer. Volunteering at Special Olympics basketball games in Maryland afforded a glimpse of the interaction’s volunteers have with others in the program. The observed interactions show that volunteers contribute towards a positive environment through the relationships they form. As facilitators of events and fans of athletics, volunteers both contribute to and benefit from their role in the Special Olympics. By better understanding the significance of relationship-building in motivating volunteer engagement and what facilitates that, this research offers organizations useful information in supporting the volunteer labor on which they rely.

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