No nothing. Not even the online newsletter youíre reading right now.

Thatís how the STC Willamette Valley Chapter looks without the STC volunteers who make a calendar full of events happen month after month, meeting after meeting, seminar after seminar. From the annual Awards Competition to arranging a meeting place for your favorite SIG, your fellow chapter volunteers keep the chapter engine running.

Itís the 2000-2001 chapter year and weíre looking for some new crew chiefs. Itís time to pump up our figurative tires, change our collective oil, tune our cerebral carburetors and roar into the 2000-2001 chapter year ó and the October 2001 Region 7 conference that follows.

"Volunteering demonstrates professional initiative," says Phyllis Thompson, Documentation Manager at Merant and current STC WVC Chapter President. "In growing your career, you can use STC volunteering activities as another avenue for developing skills you can use in your current position, or as you move closer to a position youíd like to see yourself in at some point in your future."

Right now, volunteers are needed in the following positions:

Grant Writer: At the regional and national level, grants are available to help our local chapter with training events, seminar budgets, speaker fees, and many other expenses. We just need that special person with the patience and writing skills to work the STC financial system to our advantage. This position requires 5-10 hours per month.

Awards & Competition Committee: Be part of the team that judges the best of the best. The 2000-2001 Awards & Competition Committee needs a Recognitions Manager, a Banquet Coordinator and entry judges. Each position requires five hours of your time a month, with the main efforts taking place in the October 2000 to February 2001 timeframe.

Technical Art and Illustration Judges: Do you have that knack for recognizing visual greatness? The Competition Committee is seeking technical art and illustration judges. Youíll use established criteria and work closely with others to determine the best of STC Willamette Valley Chaptersí best. We estimate needing 7 hours of your time during the six weeks prior to the event.

Regional Conference Support: In October 2001, your STC Willamette Valley Chapter is hosting the Region 7 STC Conference. This is a tremendous undertaking, with accommodations, presentations, speakers, promotional materials, and event marketing to be arranged and accounted for. Joining the conference support team requires 6-10 hours of your time each month, with the strongest demands taking place in September and October 2001.

Audio/Visual Coordinator: The audio/visual coordinator plans and implements the A/V needs for every Regional Conference meeting, whether it be major ballroom events or small group meetings. We need someone with strong management and organizational skills to setup and maintain LCD projectors, computer connections to projectors and Internet access. We estimate the time requirements to be 2-4 hours per month from now until May, then 6-12 hours per month until the conference in October.

2001 Regional Conference Publications Coordinator: The Publications Coordinator (or team) is responsible for writing, editing and accuracy of the conference program and proceedings and other written documents as need. This person will work closely with the graphic designer(s).

Lone Writers SIG: It is NOT lonely at the top. The leader of the STC Willamette Valley Lone Writers SIG is surrounded by courageous lone writers from throughout the local technical writing market. Weíre asking you to donate approximately five hours per month, to develop a topic, find a speaker and confirm your meeting location.

Mentoring Program Manager: One of STCís more unique programs, the mentoring program carefully matches senior STC members with newer members. As a mentoring program manager you help recruit and train mentors for their roles as advisors and career counselors. You also review protégé applications and select those newer members who will participate in the program. Managing the Mentoring Programs requires 8-10 hours per month.

"For people considering volunteering, the personal enrichment is wonderful," says Christine Champeaux, contract technical writer and 1999-2000 Volunteer Coordinator. "You connect with other professionals and get to know people on a different level in terms of creativity and teamwork. Some great friendships are formed."

"Youíll learn a lot," says Liza Bauman, Technical Information Specialist for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and one of the last yearsí recipients of the STC WVC Volunteer of the Year Awards. "Itís about going outside your comfort zone and growing as an individual. Iím looking forward to the challenges volunteering offers and would hope other volunteers feel that same enthusiasm."

To volunteer soon, contact your volunteer Volunteer Coordinator, Jim Slaight at jslaight1962@aol.com, or any member of your STC Willamette Valley Administrative Council.