JEDDAH — To mark the International Volunteer Day, celebrated each year on Dec. 5 across the globe, Saudi Aramco held a two-day outdoor forum, exhibition, and seminar on the importance of volunteerism. Amidst the cool weather, refreshments and social mingling, volunteers met with prominent businessmen and women and public and private sector leaders. Representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Society of Majid Bin Abdul Aziz for Development and Social Services, Dallah Academy and other proponents of volunteer work were present at the event attended by over 1,500 men and women. Volunteer organizations of all age groups with varying goals and interests in the community work came together to form coalitions with one another, learn and meet potential supporters and sponsors. Over the course of two days, 60 young individuals stood on stage and captivated the audience with their success stories; how their work started as merely an idea and then evolved into a flourishing project with a notable positive impact on the community. Among the highlighted success stories was a young breast cancer survivor who started a support group for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Another merry group of dentistry students formed an organization to dispel the frightening image that most young children harbor about dentists and demonstrate that a dental visit can be pleasant and is not necessarily painful and scary. “This event aims to provide a chance for voluntary organizations and individuals to promote their contributions and to become active agents of social and economic development at local, national and international levels. “The pervasiveness of volunteering in communities is a prime factor in the development and progress of the nation. The more responsible, hard working, and energetic citizens are, the more the nation will move toward improvement and advancement,” said Sameer Nasruddin, manager of Saudi Aramco Affairs in the Western Province. “It is part of Saudi Aramco's corporate social responsibility programs to adopt such events that empower the youth. All segments of society need to work hand in hand to support volunteers and spread the concept of the importance of volunteerism in society,” added Nasruddin. “Wanting to do good, to give and make another person's life better is part of human nature. If people took advantage of this innate desire to help others and correctly use their free time and energy, they are capable of creating miracles. For a developed nation to become truly great, volunteering must become an integral part of its core communities,” said Abdullah Al-Tawi, director of Social Affairs in Makkah. Organizers of the Saudi Aramco event announced that several meetings conducted between government bodies and volunteer organizations and strategies have been chalked out to facilitate and support the work of volunteers in the Western Province. That way, the volunteers' work will no longer be haphazard, and many services and resources will be provided to them such as meeting rooms, information, donations, workshops, and courses in managing non-profit organizations.
