The Special Olympics would not have proceeded in Brockport without the help of a multitude of generous people. The Democrat and Chronicle reported that over 4,000 local individuals volunteered their time to help out at events during this special occurrence. They were responsible for many tasks such as serving food in the cafeterias, cleaning up the grounds, directing chaperones around the campus, decorating and a variety of other necessary chores.

Some volunteers had the special duty of being "huggers," which is a unique feature to the Special Olympics. Volunteers stand at the finish line and wait for a particular athlete to complete his/her event. Regardless of how or if that athlete finishes, he/she is greeted with a huge bear hug, letting the athletes know what a fantastic job they just completed.

The newspaper asked volunteers why they chose to help, and they received several warm responses. Janet Malone of East Bloomfield said, " I have four children and a grandchild and they’re all healthy. I figured I’d volunteer my time for the less fortunate."

Shirley Torrelli and her family traveled across the county from Webster to help out the Special Olympians because " we’ve heard so many wonderful things about them."

The Democrat and Chronicle reported on August 8, 1979, about a story of the lengths to which a local man went so a foreign delegation could arrive on time: "A postal strike in Ireland was playing havoc with communication between Brockport and the Irish delegation earlier this summer. When (Jim) Branigan, a Dublin native, heard a talk about the Olympics at a Kendall Lions Club Meeting, he volunteered his services.

He sent the mail to his brother-in-law, who works as a food-service purser on a cross-channel boat between Liverpool and Dublin. The brother-in-law took them to a nephew of Branigan, who took them to a Dublin friend, who then took them to the treasurer of the Irish Special Olympics.

‘That was the only way to do it,’ he said. It worked five times."

The article continued saying that unfortunately, the forms were not mailed back to Branigan, and instead were sent through Northern Ireland, where there was no strike. The package never arrived to United States officials, however. This may have been because of a clog in England where bulky packages are suspect of containing bombs. Branigan has repeatedly tried to contact the Irish; regardless, the Irish athletes will still be able to participate in the games.