BILLINGS — Ryan Doll's passion for photography began when he was just a child. What started as taking photos of scenery, friends, and family transformed into something bigger.
“My mom had a hobby of doing photos, so it kind of grew from seeing my mom do it and taking photos to me ending up doing it,” Doll said early last week.
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Doll started volunteering for the Special Olympics more than five years ago, taking on multiple roles.
“I do photography, I do the awards ceremonies, I help coach, I'm a unified partner. So I do a lot of different tasks,” Doll said.
With numerous volunteers present at each event, someone is always available to support the athletes.
“There's always somebody at every event capturing those moments for the athletes,” Doll said.
Despite the demands of working another job, Doll finds the time to volunteer for the athletes.
“I just plan it very, very meticulously,” Doll said.
For Doll, capturing the special moments with athletes is one of the best parts of the volunteering experience.
“A lot of their family and friends are unable to be at the actual event. So being able to capture those moments so that they can send them to family and friends that are not here.”
Doll recalled that one of his favorite moments was with an athlete from high school. He said he was taking every chance to enjoy that moment.
“She was just so ecstatic and just skipped off happier than ever that somebody recognized something that she was able to do,” Doll said.
Doll shared that the volunteer community within the Special Olympics is like a family.
“We all have one goal in mind and that is to help the athletes fulfill their dreams and be there for the athletes,” Doll said.
With the Special Olympics starting Wednesday, May 14, Doll emphasized that it’s not too late to volunteer or get involved.
“Get involved, ask questions, and if anything, come to either area games or state games and kind of just see what it's all about and all the fun that they have and be a part of something that changes the life for somebody that has a disability,”
The state summer games will take place at different venues around Billings from May 14-16.
