Often such positions require much work, very little thanks and, of course, no pay. People who do volunteer work often say the work has its own rewards. Volunteering makes you feel a part of your community. It makes you feel like you are returning some of the help the community has given you in the past. Sometimes you just feel good knowing you helped someone in need, if you are helping.
Volunteers play a vital role in most communities.
They often help run a variety of organizations from hospitals to fire departments, from child care centers to nursing homes. Sometimes volunteers perform the most menial tasks, cleaning up after everyone, and sometimes they make decisions that control the destinies of the organizations for which they volunteer. Once a group comes to depend on a volunteer they are sorely missed if they cannot perform their duties. Things get dirty quick if a volunteer janitor does not show up. Someone can get hurt if a volunteer fireman does not get to the fire.