The power of volunteerism.

m o y i t i v m w a k p i d t t s F R I t t c t s d a f e a t e n July 1, 2002, I completed my 10-year term as Editorn-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. hat a great privilege it was. I retired from the University f California-San Francisco School of Medicine on Februry 1, 2003, and in April 2003 was called to be a full-time olunteer for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day aints. My wife and I moved to Salt Lake City in May 003. In this six-year calling as a general authority of the hurch, I have had a chance to see first hand the power of olunteerism in society. I thought it might be of interest to eaders to outline some of my impressions of this critical ole we can all play in the world around us. One premise of volunteerism is that we are all the same amily of man (and God), and, therefore, we have a eep-rooted responsibility to help each other in a world lled with illiteracy, hunger, poverty, disease, death, major isasters, atrocities, war, and an endless number of other roblems. We believe that we are all spirit children of a oving father in heaven, so that referring to each other as rother or sister implies that we are truly related to each ther as family members. When we extend the feelings we ave about our own families to the rest of the world, I elieve we are on the right path toward understanding our esponsibility to the family of God. As one great prophet aid: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye re only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). lthough a belief in deity is not essential to serve others in his way, I believe it provides an important spiritual frameork for our actions. I believe that physicians have a wonderful record of olunteerism in their communities and throughout the orld. Part of that comes from relative affluence, which rst of all gives us the opportunity to donate to worthy auses, but also allows us to spend segments of time olunteering our services to the international community here medical help is greatly needed. Although my edical expertise is not a major part of my current alling, I have observed retired physicians who donate heir time and expertise to helping others free of charge. hey are having the time of their lives in ways they would ot have expected. As a full-time volunteer, I have also ppreciated not receiving any remuneration for my eforts. Of necessity, retirement has meant that we live a impler life where AARP coupons mean something! This