Volunteers provide valuable services This is National Volunteer Week. The week is designed to honor volunteers and call attention to their importance. Ironically, most volunteers don't volunteer to gain recognition. They volunteer because they enjoy what they're doing and see a need to do so. They care about others. They prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Volunteers are the backbone of the nation. They are virtually everywhere and are present throughout one's life. They're at the hospital from the day someone is born and follow almost every step in life. Volunteers are in schools, on youth athletic fields or gymnasiums. They run service organizations that help others. The list goes on and on. Some volunteer more than others, but they all work for a common goal: bettering the life of those they assist. And they do so without pay. They give up their own time to help others. What would the United States be without its volunteers? One would hate to think of the state of the nation without them. They are a vital cog. – Gene Kemmeter