Sylvia is no longer tutoring but is now volunteering 24 hours a week at the Community Information and Volunteer Centre where she has been working to establish a Victims Services Program with the support of the local RCMP. She and her husband also volunteer at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre. I asked her why she has chosen to do volunteer work. "Volunteering has kept me from becoming bored stiff - and maybe from becoming a boring person," Sylvia said. "It got me out of the house and involved in the community and it has lead to so many new interests for me. It seems that when you volunteer for one thing it leads to another."

I asked Sylvia if it ever bothers her that she isn't paid for the work she does. I think I offended her. "Oh no!" she said a little indignantly. "I don't want to be paid. I am choosing to volunteer."

"When Red Deer College asked me to fill in as the tutor monitor I was paid $10.00 an hour. That was fine. Then when Joanne left and they asked me to fill in as the coordinator and expected me to keep working for $10.00 an hour I said, 'NO!' and told them to find someone else. I told them that I am happy to give my time but I will not be paid an insulting wage."

What a remarkable stand to take. Most volunteers would jump at the chance to earn $10.00 an hour. But Sylvia told me that as a volunteer she is treated with respect and her efforts are always appreciated. As an underpaid employee of Red Deer College, however, she felt her dignity would be subject to college politics and 'the system' and she didn't want any part of that.

She also said that as a volunteer she is able to speak her mind because she 'has nothing to lose'. Our programs couldn't function without the volunteers. Perhaps the volunteers have more political clout than the paid staff of literacy programs simply because their jobs would not be in jeopardy if they chose to speak their minds.

Sylvia had described herself to me earlier as "rather forthright". I thought "forthright" was a marvellous word. She is honest and straightforward in her interactions and true to herself, her family and her commitments. I asked Sylvia if she is worried at all about continued support for the idea of volunteerism. "Not at all," she said cheerfully. "We have young people and seniors and everyone in every age group and every walk of life coming to volunteer. People still believe that volunteering is import am and they still get a lot out of it. Don't worry Deborah, volunteerism is alive and well and only getting better with age."

BARB MARTENS is another dedicated person who became involved in the Red Deer Program when it was just getting started 10 years ago. Barb and I met in the staff room of South School. To get to the staff room Barb lead me up a small set of stairs to what used to be the school stage. The stage-cum-staffroom is set up quite comfortably with tables and chairs, a couch and a refrigerator. On the other side of the stage curtains the gymnasium has been divided into an ESL classroom and the Volunteer Tutor Bank. We could hear the ESL instructor talking and working with her group of students as we sat and talked.

Barb's first involvement with the program was as a volunteer tutor. She was later hired as a tutor monitor. She helped Joanne book times in the limited space of the library basement for tutoring pairs and provided ongoing encouragement to both the students and tutors. When Joanne started the small group classes Barb became a part- time evening class instructor. Sylvia then took Barb's place as the tutor monitor.