b'C H A P T E R T W E L V ETo pour forth benefits for the common good is divine. Benjamin Franklin.2Three FCW board members in 2003 have been directorsand at different times officersever since the organization came into being twenty years ago. They are Batch Batchelder, Lew Kimball, and Martha Stone. And if they had any more zest for their waterways work back at the outset than they still do now, it would be remarkable.Each of the three has come to a real appreciation of what it is to be a volunteer. At the end of this voyage, their thoughts in the log are well-worth considering:Batch Batchelder:You have to involve the citizenry.When volunteers are involved, you develop an informed group. The individual benefits a great deal. Tut the community benefits, because you build a cadre of informedpeople who can represent an issue at Town Meeting when you need votes.Martha Stone:If a group of people who believe that ve enjoyed being part oby working with municipal officials and volunteer groups, we can make a difference in the community where we all live.Atfirst, some Town employees might have a skeptical view of thoselittle old ladies -and menin tennis shoes.But when they see that we are dependable, possibty innovative, and persistent, then oftentimes there is a real opportunity for significant cooperation. Working in this arena, any appreciation comes only in the quiet satisfaction that our group has made a real and identifiable difference. Tor me, this is a great reward.Lew Kimball:The importance of this book lies not in the details of successes andf ailures alike, but in its affirmation of the importance of enlightened volunteerism. From its start as a neighborhood reaction to a proposed inappropriate217'