Leader is chosen for Special Olympics
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on July 19, 2015 1:50 AM
esmith@newsargus.com
D'Leeshia Lee, a recreational therapist for Goldsboro Parks and Recreation, has been named the local coordinator for the Wayne County Special Olympics.
She was preceded in her position by Rich Walderman, a volunteer, who retired from the post after 10 years of service.
Ms. Lee said she knew she would be taking over the responsibilities of being a local coordinator as far back as March. For several months up until this point, full-time staffers with Goldsboro Parks and Recreation were sharing the responsibility and cobbling together events, paperwork and proper certification for the Special Olympics athletes in addition to their full-time responsibilities.
The need arose when a new coordinator was not named by Dec. 31 due to a dispute between the Goldsboro City Council and the Wayne County commissioners over who should fund the position.
Several council members felt the county should have to share in the responsibility of funding a local coordinator position since some Special Olympics athletes live in the county and not the city.
Following that council discussion, County Manager George Wood said the county would deny the joint funding request.
"We tried to keep it going as smoothly as we could," Ms. Lee said.
The local coordinator oversees more than 1,000 athletes in Wayne County and is in charge of securing facilities for events, reaching out to the community, securing sponsorships for the athletes, training local athletes and much more.
Ms. Lee will be taking on these duties in addition to her regular job as a recreational therapist.
"You have to practice time management," she said. "Local coordinator will be my main position now, but I'll still be doing fitness and cooking classes, working on community outreach and doing most of the same things I have been doing."
Parks and Recreation Director Scott Barnard said the department was approached by the North Carolina Special Olympics and asked if the department would assume the responsibilities of the local program.
"We went to council and requested a full-time position," Barnard said. "(Ms. Lee) had already been going to a lot of the Special Olympics meetings when volunteers like the Waldermans were running it, so when council denied our request for a full-time position, she was the natural successor to that position because she was already so involved."
Barnard said the extra responsibilities come with a pay bump for Ms. Lee of approximately 5 percent.
Ms. Lee said one of her goals in taking over the position are to get even more athletes involved as well as more coaches and volunteers participating in the local events.
"I want to ensure everyone has fun, from the volunteers to the athletes," she said.
Wayne County's local athletes, she said, have competed extensively, and Special Olympics is not a program that should be ignored by the public.
"I want to increase our visibility in Wayne County and make sure people know we've had athletes compete nationally," Ms. Lee said. "I'm excited for any challenge, and former coordinators have reached out to me and said they are always there to help. With that many people wanting to see this program succeed, I'm hoping this will be a really strong program."