b'C H A P T E R S E V E N4.To Honor the ProtectorsWhen you look closely at the gears and pistons of Chathamsgovernmental affairs, does Chathams battalion of volunteers really make a difference? For two officials in a position to know, the answer is a firm Yes!School Superintendent Vida Gavin had come to the community in 1991. Right away she wanted help to draft a five-year plan for the schools. Sending out a call, she was amazed tosee how many people signed up87 in all, everyone a volunteer. Not long after, two women suggested to her that parents might be willing to join teachers on the firing line. Today, 104 are registered to serve as Volunteers in Public Schools. Dr. Gavin speaks candidly about their value. We cant do it alone, she says. We need everybody out there, because our children are our most valuable commodity.7Selectman Douglas Ann Bohman has been able to assess close up the efficacy of town volunteersthrough her twelve years on the Finance Committee and ten subsequent years on the Board of Selectmen. In the latter position, shes often teamed with others to interview candidates for committees appointed by selectmen. The town has 40 of these committees, from the Airport Commission, to the Zoning Board of Appeals. All 250 of their members serve without pay. Are they of value? This town couldnt run without them, says Dougie Bohman. Its just too involved. We really need those volunteers.But thats not the end of the story. Chatham also has at least 20 more committees independent of Town government. Among them: the Chatham Historical Society, the Conservation Foundation, and Cape Cod Concert Opera. And again, the people named to those boards are all volunteers. That goes for FCW, as well.Inevitably, a time comes when a directors term ends, and its farewell and off into the sunset. Maybe fellow board members give a round of applause, or approve a letter of appreciation from the reigning president. Maybe the departing warrior will feel that the ultimate reward will come in heaven. Then again, maybe not.Friends of Chatham Waterways decided in 2000 that a 30-second roll of applause wasnt enough to celebrate years of unpaid engagement in trying -at times, scrapping may be a better word -to conserve local waterways and nearby land. Like a kayak probing Stage Harbor marshes, a concept moved slowly into FCW consciousness. At the September 00 board meeting, a voice suggested that perhaps an award should be made to those who make an environmental difference.8 At that point, this gossamer disappeared behind the moon; other issues113'