Olympic Volunteers
Olympic organizers are looking for a few good men.... and women. Actually, they're looking for a few thousand men and women ..to roll up their sleeves and help make the Olympic dream a reality. They issued a call for volunteers today. News Specialist John Hollenhorst has details.
They need about 8,000 volunteers now, and 18,000 when the Olympics actually happen. They figure that almost everyone has some sort of skill they can put to good use in the next three years.
The magic doesn't happen every four years without a lot of work. And if organizers had to pay for all of it, they'd go broke.
ED EYNON/SLOC V.P. FOR HUMAN RESOURCES: "WELL, IT'S CRITICAL. THERE'D BE NO GAMES WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS."
They've pinned their hopes, and their budget, on the assumption that thousands of Utahns will pitch in and do the vast majority of the work. Especially during the Winter Games themselves.
SHELLEY THOMAS/SLOC V.P. OF COMMUNICATIONS : "WE'LL HAVE BETWEEN 700 AND 800 PAID STAFF, AND 18,000 VOLUNTEERS." HOLLENHORST: "YOU HOPE." THOMAS: "WE WILL!"
Right now, they need just 8,000 volunteers to work on pre-Olympics activities over the next three years. Newspaper ads promise hard work, long hours and NO pay.
SHELLEY THOMAS/SLOC V.P. OF COMMUNICATIONS: "AND WE'RE CERTAIN THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY INTEREST, AND WITH THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THAT WE WILL BE KNOWN FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS."
The L.D.S. Church First Presidency issued a statement at Sunday sacrament meetings in support of the Olympic effort. But the statement emphasized volunteer work is a matter of individual choice, for church members to do only as private citizens through the Olympic Committee.
ED EYNON/SLOC V.P. FOR HUMAN RESOURCES: "WE THINK THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY. AND THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE, WHETHER IT BE PRE-GAMES OR THE GAMES-TIME, THERE'LL BE SOME MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME. AND WE'RE HOPING THEY FEEL THAT."
FRANK JOKLIK/SLOC PRESIDENT: "AND I THINK A GOOD VOLUNTEER CORPS WILL LEAVE AN IMPRESSION WITH THE SPECTATORS, WITH THE TELEVISION AUDIENCE, THAT WILL COLOR THEIR WHOLE THINKING ABOUT SALT LAKE CITY, ABOUT THE WHOLE STATE OF UTAH."
If you want to sign up, you can do it on the Internet at www.slc2002.org. Or, by phone at 212-2002.
ED EYNON/SLOC V.P. FOR HUMAN RESOURCES: "IF THEY DON'T SHOW, WE'RE ALL IN TROUBLE."
Even if you volunteer for this first phase, there's no guarantee you'll be chosen to be a volunteer during the actual Winter Games. But if you DO volunteer now it's a foot in the door, and a leg up-- assuming there's competition for those 18,000 volunteer positions in 2002.
