When it comes to charity, Bermudians are a warm and caring people who respond willingly and generously to a wide variety of worthy causes, be they here or abroad.

But behind the public face of the approximately 359 registered local charities are countless volunteers who make it all happen. Without them, no cause could succeed, no work would be accomplished. Indeed, they are an invaluable and irreplaceable resource.

Recognising this, the Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) has taken its cue from the United Nations' proclamation naming 2001 the International Year of Volunteers and chosen "Volunteerism -- Acts of Kindness'' as the main theme of its annual Heritage Exhibition, which opens officially in the Bermuda Society of Arts gallery at City Hall this evening.

"The council felt that a year designated to enhance the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteer service would help increase awareness of its achievements and potential, to encourage service from an expanded number of individuals, and to channel resources to such service,'' HAC chairman, Dr. Gary Burgess said.

To the main theme the HAC has also added a sub-theme: "Stepping Into Our Shoes,'' which Exhibition producer/writer Geneva Humdy-Woodley explains is designed to give viewers a sense of what it feels like for volunteers to give, the reasons why they give, and hopefully to motivate them to become volunteers themselves.

"Oftentimes, volunteers are the unsung heroes of charities, so we dedicate this exhibition to all the people in our community who give, and our hope is that after people read the stories they will realise the incredible amount of energy and love it takes to volunteer and then say: `I have got to do this myself','' she said.

The overall design for the Heritage Exhibition has been conceived and executed by well known Bermuda artists Will Collieson and Jennifer Stobo, and will include a series of panels, each containing a large photograph of a volunteer together with supporting text; pictures of volunteers at work, and a list of all the volunteers working for a particular charity.

Given the huge number of charities here, and the equally large corps of volunteers working for them, Mrs. Humdy-Woodley admits that narrowing the panel choices down to 16 was an extremely difficult and sensitive task.

Combing through a directory of local organisations, the final choices were made based on sector and size, following which either their chairman or executive director was interviewed.

"We tried to strike a balance in terms of the sectors of charitable work and volunteer work, and each organisation was asked to select one volunteer whom it felt epitomised the body and spirit of their work,'' the producer said.

"To make sure we covered everyone properly we also asked for a list of all their volunteers. "My one regret is that we had neither enough time nor space to focus on every charity. In the end we selected organisations who represent examples of exemplary work in our community.'' However, Mrs. Humdy-Woodley assures that all of the remaining charities have been recognised on a special "wall'' listing each of their names. In addition, they will have relevant "props'' on display so that this segment also becomes an attractive and informative part of the overall exhibition.

As befits the sub-theme, "Stepping into our Shoes,'' many pairs of shoes are also being displayed because organisers "want to encourage people to step into somebody else's shoes for a few minutes and get a sense of what the volunteers do'', according to Mrs. Humdy-Woodley.

The exhibition has been in the planning stage since last September, and Dr.

Burgess says that he is not only pleased with the design theme, but also finds it an educational experience.

"I have been involved in all of the Heritage Exhibitions for the past three years. They are all different and exciting, and after being away from Bermuda for so long I have learned a lot more about my heritage than I did when I was younger.'' "Volunteerism -- Acts of Kindness'' will run until May 25. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Admission is free. For further information contact the Department of Cultural Affairs 292-9447 or the BSoA gallery 292-3824.