TRUE VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE MANY BENEFITS TO SOCIETY

Volunteers -- in the truest sense of the word -- can make a remarkable difference in today's world. Riverfest is just one example of their invaluable behind-the-scenes contribution.

Volunteers support numerous agencies, organizations and causes in town -- not because they are required to, but because they choose to give their time freely.

St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital well recognize the importance of volunteers to their operations. More than 750 men and women volunteer at both hospitals.

Their contributions save the hospitals more than 100,0000 hours in labor each year, which represents nearly $500,000 in salaries and benefits. It's a staggering figure.

But volunteers are much more than a budgetary concern. Most undertake the task at hand with enthusiasm and heart. That positive attitude touches everyone they encounter.

Some volunteers give of their time so freely that the numbers are astonishing. Take Irene Eaker. She has amassed more than 30,000 volunteer hours at St. Francis.

These selfless acts of neighbor-helping-neighbor may sometimes go without reward. But people -- and society as a whole -- do notice and appreciate the worth of volunteers. True volunteerism is a tribute to these giving people and an embodiment of the American spirit.