Two courses lie open to every man...

[rays]

International Volunteer Day is December 5th each year and is officially recognized by the United Nations as a day on which volunteers around the world are recognized and celebrated for their contributions and dedication. International Volunteer Day is for volunteers of all walks of life working in communities around the globe.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement can count over 3 million adult volunteers supporting the actions of its 25 million young members, male and female, in 216 countries and territories. As a voluntary organization, we know a thing or two about the sort of commitment that goes with volunteering and might speak with some authority on the subject.

As that organization's Director of Information Technology, I take the opportunity of this special day to publically thank not just Patrick and Ed for their invaluable effort and dedication to this development but to also recognise all of you who are contributing your time and experience through the testing process and bug-hunting. Nor can we forget the many hundreds of hours of voluntary effort given over by others to create and develop the core OpenOffice.org application itself.

I only wish I had a fraction of the knowledge that you share through the various postings we can read here and in other forums but I am learning through the experience. In the end, it will be the rest of us who benefit enormously from the service each of you is giving.

In speaking of service to others, Scouting's Founder Robert Baden-Powell wrote:" Two courses lie open to every man - self or service. He has to choose for himself which is to be his real motive. Self is the more comfortable; service involves sacrifice. If a fellow is not capable of sacrifice he should not call himself a man. But where he practices it the better to express his love, let him be assured that life will be to him a very real and happy posession."

The United Nations Volunteers programme is the designated international focal point for International Volunteer Day. More information is available on their web site at http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org

To all like Patrick and Ed who choose to follow a path of service, today is our opportunity to say a very sincere "Thank you".

Ray Saunders

Director, Information Technology
World Scout Bureau

[Waldo]

Hear, hear! Well said.

W

[sardisson]