Li Shuo will never forget what she did this summer. "I was part of the Olympics," the 20-year-old student from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine said.

Li was not an athlete taking part in the Games, but did what many would also think was equally meaningful - serving as a volunteer for her Olympic host city.

"I feel so lucky and proud to have been a part of such a historic event and it will probably be the most valuable chapter of my life," Li told China Daily Thursday, the eve of International Volunteer Day.

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Communities should harness the energy and initiative of the thousands of volunteers who contribute to projects around the world, including critical United Nations activities, senior UN officials said here Friday as they marked the day dedicated to those who give their time and efforts for free to help others.  Visit site

Since 1963, Volunteers in Asia (VIA) has helped thousands of Americans live and volunteer in Asia. If you are interested in cross-cultural exchange and furthering communication and understanding between the peoples of the United States and Asia, chances are there is a VIA program for you. VIA is looking for undergraduates, recent college graduates, and adults of all ages who are living in the United States and interested in exploring new opportunities. Fluency in English is a prerequisite for program participation. A college degree is required for our one- and two-year positions.  Visit site

Beijing has recruited 44,000 volunteers to provide services during the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games. The volunteers come from 27 countries and regions, and 90 percent of them served at the Beijing Olympic Games, said Liu Jian, director of the volunteers department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).   Visit site

The Beijing Olympics received more than one million volunteer applications, of which 74,715 were accepted, plus 30,000 for the Paralympic Games. However, Zhang Juming, deputy director of the Volunteer Work Department of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games, says that 1 million people in fact volunteered services in various fields, including medical, traffic and security assistance.  Visit site

ORBIS International's flagship Flying Eye Hospital has arrived in Harbin, China with its global team of volunteer eye care specialists and global Alliance for Sight partner, Alcon, Inc. to conduct an intensive two-week program focusing on training and equipping the next generation of Chinese eye care professionals and biomedical engineers.  Visit site

As China's 600-strong Olympic team fight for medals on the home soil, a separate team nearly 3,000 times its size are trying to snatch another gold for their country - with friendly smiles.  Visit site

There are hundreds of thousands of volunteers working at the Beijing Olympics, screened from millions of applicants. But what kind of volunteers are they? This author has mixed feelings, and challenges readers to get back to her with their responses and observations.  Visit site

The United Nations in China and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) Volunteer Department hosted a high-level celebration on the eve of the opening of the 29th Olympiad to recognize the service of Beijing's volunteers both in preparations for the Games and contributing to development in China.  Visit site

Lost in the mass of hundred thousand Chinese volunteers, a Beninese, a Canadian from Quebec and a French-speaking Uzbek give assistance to journalists, athletes and members of delegations on the Olympic sites. Read on the NouvelObs web site in French.   Visit site