There is a charity for virtually every aspect of Bermudian life, from education to the arts, to nature, to sports to child welfare to seniors.

Unfortunately there are not enough volunteers to help those charities to adequately serve those in need.

According to the Centre on Philanthropy?s programme advisor Jo-ann Pully, it is an ongoing problem for the Island?s 360 charities, most of whom would not survive without those who give up countless hours and energy to make a contribution.

?Ask anyone in Bermuda who volunteers or works for a charity what their organisation needs most and I am willing to bet they will say ?more volunteers?,? said Mrs. Pully.

From grassroots to governance, volunteer contributions are vital to the social and economic functioning and the many needs of our community, Mrs Pully noted.

?The need for volunteers ranges across the board as far as skill is concerned and we need people who have expertise,? she stated.

With so many charities, some of the services are duplicated, but Mrs. Pully sees it as a positive thing.

?That is what is beautiful about the fact that we have got over 300 charities, with people wanting to do good,? she stated.

?Is there duplication? Yes there is duplication, but I would rather have duplication than not have the service at all. It certainly is incumbent upon the charity community to make sure we do what we can to eliminate the duplication.

?In youth mentoring there is Big Brothers Big Sisters, YouthNet, the Boys Day Out all providing services. But there is some uniqueness within each of those programmes, so the upside of having duplication far outweighs the downside.?

On December 5, 2001 a significant event on volunteerism occurred when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution commending the ongoing contributions of all volunteers to society and encouraged all people to become more engaged in voluntary activities.

For more than ten years the Centre on Philanthropy has worked to encourage and recognise the many people in Bermuda who epitomise the spirit of volunteering through their kind acts, generous spirit and tireless work ethic.

In support of the effort to promote voluntary service the Centre on Philanthropy invites Bermuda?s registered charities (those with contact addresses) every December to select an outstanding volunteer from within their organisation, to recognise their achievements and the vital contributions they make to Bermuda.

The selection can be based on long service, number of hours contributed, special role or projects completed, excellence or any other criteria the organisation chooses to value in volunteer service.

In 2001 and 2002 the Centre on Philanthropy and Bermuda?s volunteers received assistance and donations from corporate sponsor Centre Solutions. That allowed the COP to hold annual recognition ceremonies and to provide gifts and other tokens of appreciation.

This year the Centre on Philanthropy worked with Endurance Specialty Ltd. and Partner Re to recognise Bermuda?s ?star? volunteers. Every volunteer received a volunteer recognition pin, certificate of appreciation and a chance to win one of three $250 travel vouchers. As a result of a draw held in December, Valerie Dill of the Adult Education Centre, Fiona Lanzino of Riding for the Disabled and Tina Bean of PALS were the three travel voucher winners.

Mrs Pully, who just stepped down as executive director at the Centre on Philanthropy, doesn?t buy into the often used excuse of being too busy to assist a charity.

?We are all very busy, however when we are faced with a crisis, say a 9-11 emergency where you needed volunteers to step out, all of a sudden all of those things we felt were so important and were keeping us so busy, they become incredibly not so important anymore,? she noted.

Last year?s Hurricane Fabian was one such example.

?When we were faced with Fabian, what happened to all of our busy schedules?,? Mrs Pully questioned.

?We put that stuff on hold and came out and helped each other and got to know one another. We helped rebuild roofs, put windows in and removed trees and made sure people were fed and housed.

?It?s about priorities and what?s important. Is it important to work 12 hours at your job? Maybe, but is it more important to make sure the family down the road is given the services they need.

?I speak this way because I volunteer my time for a lot of different charities, like the Diversity Institute of Bermuda, a group called Single Parents in Action, Beyond Barriers and I?m also a Sunday School teacher. I, too, work. I, too, have children and I, too, like to go on vacation. It?s about priorities, that?s what it is.?

The Centre on Philanthropy sent out correspondence to the charities with which they had contacts, asking them to recognise their top volunteer. 31 replied with names.

?We are trying to recognise, encourage and foster volunteerism and I think it has been received very, very well,? she said.

?Take the last recognition ceremony that Centre Solutions sponsored for us, it was a fabulous event, speeches were made and dignitaries showed up and it helped encourage people who were interested but didn?t do anything about it to get out (and help).

?The charity boards are all volunteer boards, but without the people coming out and helping to make decisions the charities could not exist. Take the Red Cross, for instance, you would assume that if you need blood they would have your type available. That?s a major assumption to make but we make it all the time.?

This year will be the fourth year for running the Summer Youth Volunteer Programme, which matches capable young people with charities in need.

?Although there are countless ideas for meeting the needs of our community, what is truly needed is for us to figure out how to get everyone in Bermuda, the young and old, students, homemakers, CEOs, unions, small companies, church groups, exempt companies, tourists, Bermudian/non-Bermudian, rich, poor, skilled and unskilled, to step out and become actively involved in Bermuda by volunteering at every level from grassroots to governance,? Mrs Pully urged.

?Volunteering is fundamental to the health and sustainability of our community. Bermuda?s future, Bermuda?s quality of life depends on it.? Volunteering their time.