Why would people volunteer to give up two weeks of vacation and pay $550 and airfare to a foreign country to work for nothing? For three primary reasons: gratitude, enjoyment and service, say 57 American volunteers who went to El Salvador to offer eye-care services to thousands of local people.  Read article

Sofia, Bulgaria: Jennifer Hee was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Almost three years ago, she applied to be in the Peace Corps, and was offered a Youth Development Volunteer position in Bulgaria. “Because I know my work is indeed important, and because I adore the youth I work with and want to provide them with every opportunity possible to help them not only survive, but to succeed, I will hopefully continue to work in Bulgaria and extend my assignment, despite the occasionally overwhelming challenges,” she says.     Read article

Eureka, CA, USA: The National Volunteer Week is the time to take special note of the vital role of volunteers in communities across Canada and the United States. This article from Eureka, CA takes a detailed look at a local volunteer centre and the variety of connections it helps facilitate for the greater good of the community.  Read article

Toronto, Canada: The walls of Toronto’s Youth Challenge International office are filled with maps and flags of the countries where their volunteers will go, and where they’ve been. For Bridget Stirling, they hold the promise of a new life working overseas.  Read article

Accra, Ghana: Freelance journalist Madison Gray revisits his Ghanaian roots while working as a volunteer for Cross-Cultural Solutions. It's a month-long sojourn where he found kinship and the "ginning" of a new journey.  Read article