MGOC calls for volunteers

With only a few months left before an estimated 2,000 athletes, family members, and support staff descend upon the CNMI for the 6th Micronesian Games, the players are practicing, the coaches are coaching, the trainers are training, and the planners are planning for the international event.

While some teams are favored in certain sports, and others plan to pull off underdog upsets, the outcome of each event still remains uncertain until the athletes push themselves to the limits this summer on the fields and in the water of Saipan.

One thing that is without question is that none of the participants will have a chance to compete without the support and cooperation of the local community.

During Tuesday night’s meeting of the Micronesian Games Organizing Committee, individual subcommittee chairs took their turns reporting the progress of their respective responsibilities.

One of the most important aspects of the planning campaign is the procurement of funding—a major portion of which is expected to come from the athletes themselves in the form of the $30 in per diem per participant.

In addition to the per diem, the Games needs the support of the local businesses in the form of both monetary and in-kind contributions. While many of the details of the progress are being withheld until all of the needs are satisfied and deals sealed, things appear to be going in the right direction.

Government agencies are also stepping up to the plate and pledging their full support, and a number of families are pitching in to help with donations and by offering their time and sweat to ensure the success of the Games in Saipan.

That comes as welcome news to the chairwoman of the Volunteers Committee, Frances Sablan, but she will need many more people to step forward and raise their hands before opening day on June 23.

Now that individual tasks are being assigned and duties being realized, Sablan has the difficult job of filling available slots with able-bodied individuals willing to volunteer their time to the Games.

Official forms will become available in the near future, but all interested volunteers can start the process by emailing Sablan with some basic information to get the ball rolling by calling Sablan at 234-3462.

The chairwoman said that she will need to know the name, age, contact information, preferred areas, and availability of each of the volunteers so that she can best assign them to specific duties.