The success of every Canada Day, Cruise-In, festival, parade and sporting event in 91原创 lies in the support of an army of people, the backbone of any community, who work countless hours without financial reward.

These events and others are dependent on 鈥榲olunteer power,鈥� and, Sonya Paterson told council on Monday, the events that are fueled by volunteers began with their vision.

The occasion to honour them publicly, the International Volunteer Day, has come and gone, but on Monday three volunteers came before council to discuss ways to recruit volunteers and cultivate their continuing altruism.

Paterson told council that there are 20 volunteer centres in B.C., one of which is in Surrey, That centre receives many calls from people in 91原创 looking for opportunities to volunteer.

To keep them in 91原创, a volunteer centre should be established here, said Paterson, who was accompanied by Shar Dubas and June Clarke.

鈥淭he Township of 91原创 does a very good job of celebrating volunteers,鈥� Paterson said, noting that the municipality hosts a volunteer appreciation dinner every year.

鈥淰olunteers are instruments of success who humbly commit their time to sports teams and clubs, youth organizations like 4-H clubs, Girl Guides, Scouts (and) local organizations like our arts and cultural society, Cancer Society, Alzheimer鈥檚 Society, Heritage society, 91原创 Horse Council and family events,鈥� Paterson said.

The trio asked for council to support establishing a 91原创 Volunteer Centre. The timing could not be more appropriate, Paterson said, with the Seniors Games coming to 91原创 in 2014.

鈥淚t seems to be the perfect time to talk about developing a sustainable volunteer centre,鈥� she said.

鈥淚f there is one thing we learned from having the Olympics in B.C. it is the importance of leaving a legacy,鈥� Paterson added.

The volunteer centre could provide online support through a secure website that registers volunteers, creating a safe and secure data base for organizations who need volunteers. It would help to promote events, provide volunteer manager training, and show people how to write grant applications.

On Jan. 16, at the first meeting of the New Year, council will consider a motion proposed by Councillor Kim Richter that asks staff to investigate setting up a centralized volunteer bureau.