Billund Municipality celebrates volunteers after successful engagement at School Olympics finals

Recruiting volunteers for tasks can be challenging, but Billund Municipality has successfully assembled a pool of individuals who have contributed to the School Olympics finals over the past four years. With next year’s finals relocating to Copenhagen, the municipality now finds itself with a surplus of volunteers without tasks for them, according to Mayor Stephanie Storbank of the Liberal Party.

“We would love to organize another event to engage them,” she stated. On Thursday evening, the municipality celebrated the many hundreds of volunteers, with 186 of the nearly 600 who assisted during the summer in attendance. These volunteers were responsible for various tasks, including preparing food, handing out prizes, and cleaning up after the competitions. Each received a handshake, a dinner, and a medal from the mayor.

“There were many asking: What should we do now?” she said, highlighting the need to seize this initiative.

The mayor recognizes the advantage of having such a large number of volunteers available, especially when new ideas arise. In contrast, other areas struggle to secure community participation. Therefore, Billund is analyzing the reasons behind its successful volunteer recruitment.

“It’s important to understand what we are doing right here,” added Storbank. Organizing the 2024 School Olympics finals required 598 volunteers, who were acknowledged by the municipality on Thursday. This is the third time the municipality has honored its School Olympics volunteers.

While there are still only loose ideas for future events, the town, known as the Capital of Children and home to Lego and Legoland, suggests that initiatives related to play would be fitting. If a compelling idea takes shape, Storbank is confident she can mobilize a dedicated volunteer workforce, which has shown pride in its contributions, as evidenced by the popularity of volunteer t-shirts months after the event.