|
| |
Monday, May 7, 2007 – The National Volunteer Program which was
organized especially for Cricket World Cup, has been hailed as one of the
successes of the event. During an appreciation ceremony for the volunteers on
April 30th, 2007, Chief Executive Officer of the Local Organizing Committee Dr.
Ernest Hiliare described the volunteers as the “consciousness of the World Cup.”
According to Dr. Hilaire, “for many of us at Cricket World Cup, the first sign
that we were doing something right and that the event had something positive
about it, was when we open up registration for volunteers. When we saw the
number of persons who were applying it was just inspirational.”
Dr. Hilaire noted that the volunteers embodied the West Indian spirit of what
the region could achieve. “I am convince as a West Indian that we can deliver a
world class event,” he added. ”You are a shinning example of what Saint Lucia
can offer. Continue to show Saint Lucia that we can achieve that highest
standards.”
Those sentiments were echoed by the island's Governor General-Her Excellency
Dame Pearlette Louisy, who was present at the appreciation ceremony. “We tend
sometimes to underestimate our potential and to compare ourselves to others and
to think that we are not so very good, Dame Pearlette said. “One of the legacies
in my mind will be the National Voluntary Program, and one
of the legacies both at the individual and national levels is that we were able
to show that we are among the best in the world.”
But the National Volunteer Program was not without its hitches. However
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Volunteer Programme NVP,
Paula James said amidst the setbacks the volunteers were phenomenal. “For me its
a pleasure because we had a lot of doubting Thomases' who said that Saint
Lucians do not give anything for free; and when I got nine hundred and
seventy-five applications I said yes! and we got it in a matter of weeks before
we knew where we were going with the program. “You prove to the world that Saint
Lucians can perform at the highest standard, with pride and joy without
receiving remuneration, ” James added.
Now that the 2007 Cricket World Cup is over, Dr. Hilaire is concerned about the
continuity of
the National Volunteer Program. “We have started something which is good, let us
not allow it to fall. We had an occasion around which we rallied our people, our
volunteers. Please do not allow the National Volunteer Program to become
inactive and for Saint Lucia to have lost it.”
The volunteers worked in several areas, as ushers, transportation and
administrative assistants,
and the VIP, and Park and Ride areas.
|
