#101 Volunteers

Wikipedia says that Volunteerism is the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without the expectation of pay or other tangible gain. Volunteers may have special training as rescuers, guides, assistants, teachers, missionaries, writers, and in other positions. According to the US Dept. of Labor there were 61,199,000 Americans volunteering in 2006. They clean up our shore lines; visit children in cancer wards, plant trees, help somebody learn to read, or help raise money for non profit organizations in their community.

I laud these efforts. These people believe that they can make a difference. Their efforts make up the gap between what can be done by our civic institutions and private enterprise. If not for these efforts non-profit organizations like Goodwill, Farm Sanctuary, America's Second Harvest could not opperate. I feel that the most heroic efforts of grassroots organization came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina where the work volunteers have contributed is worth $263 million to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The Corporation for National and Community Service said about 550,000 people volunteered in the first year after the 2005 hurricane and 600,000 in the past year.

101 People helping do good for the country

I recently read "101 People Who Are Really Screwing America" by Jacker Huberman. The book lists 101 of the most notorious crooks, liars, and cheats who are out to ruin America. While I whole-heartily agree that most of these rogues belong on the list, I kept thinking to myself that there have always been "evil-doers" in our midst. From Standard Oil baron John D. Rockefeller, Prescott Bush, Joseph McCarthy, to George Wallace and Ronald Reagen, we have been subject to the undercurrent of power and corruption since our inception.

So, I thought, what keeps these miscreants from taking over? There must be some balance between good and evil. The force of those who strive to help must be countering the dark side, keeping them at bay. So I have decided to create a list of 101 people who do good. I will add one new listing each day. I encourage readers to email or post with your own candidates for the list.

Where there's smoke...

It boggles my mind that in this day and age there so many people who still smoke. I quit smoking when I was in late twenties. Now that I quit, I find the smell of smoke and smokers to be most vile. I don't go to concerts or bars any more, because I can't stand the smell. If I do end up going to a smoky environment, I have to wash my coat and clothes right away when I get home. Smokers have ruined it for the non-smokers.

I don't understand why it would be such a big deal to ban smoking completely from all public places. It is a health hazard and ruins the quality of life for the rest of us.