Since Cynthia Florio was a lifeguard at Tobay Beach in the 1990s, she has watched the ocean approach the shore and draw closer to the dunes (沙丘). It’s what forced Florio, 53, of Massapequa, to take part in the Town of Oyster Bay’s annual dune grass planting event on March 30 — an effort to help stabilize the beach dunes against shoreline erosion (侵蚀).

Along with other volunteers, Florio had spent hours with her daughter, Kyra Florio-Marinello, 15, and her daughter’s friend Tatum Brennan, 15, planting the native plants that were intended to absorb water and prepare the sand against heavy wind. But four days later, a storm on Wednesday hit Long Island and washed the new plants away. “The latest dune planting event drew more than 150 volunteers who planted a lot across 2.7 acres of Atlantic Ocean sand dunes,” said Marta Kane, an Oyster Bay spokeswoman. “The dune grass cost the town $32,000.”

The event, centered on volunteerism, drew some families whose elders were looking to share a message with a younger generation about the importance of protecting the environment. While the outcome resulted in a wave of disappointment, for some volunteers that was coupled with a sense of renewed motivation. Maria Rizzi, 70, of Massapequa, participated in the planting session with her grandson, Andrew Lepsis, 10. She said she would go back for another event with even more family members. “I’d be willing to do it again,” she said. “I’d even talk the older grand kids into coming.”

While the storm swept the new plants away, Florio said Tobay Beach’s appearance aftermath serves as a powerful reminder of the need for more volunteer work on that stretch of sand. “Maybe it will inspire more people to volunteer and understand the need for us to protect our beaches,” Florio said.

Over 27-hundred volunteers, dubbed(授予称号)the“New Generation at the Bird’s Nest”, are activated among different posts at the IAAF Championships.

Xie Junyan heads a group of 72 volunteers. His team is dealing with security. “Our volunteers are here as an important force to ensure people’s safety and security. If there were no volunteers, there wouldn’t be enough security, which would allow people to come in without tickets. It could be chaos without us. ”

Others, including Wang Sijia, a volunteer from China University of Mining and Technology, are less concerned about safety, and more about making those at the event feel welcome.

“I’m a girl who loves smiling. Being able to convey happiness to others makes me feel great. ”

Wang Sijia’s fellow volunteer, Deng Yupei, is hoping to gain a little bit more practical experience from his time at the event.

“I’ve never had an experience like this before. Coming to such a big event, I’m really excited because it’s a whole new experience to me. I also think my time here has helped me improve my English. I’ve also made a lot of friends here. ”

Two-in-five of the volunteers at the IAAF event have been put there specifically to help the international delegations. Chinese visitors to this year’s event say the volunteers are just as helpful.

“They are very considerate. We didn’t know where our seats were when we first arrived. They directed us to the seats. They’re very good. ”

Outgoing IAAF President Lamine Diack has taken time to pay tribute to the volunteers, calling them“the true spirit of athletics”.

Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.

I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.

Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria?I had no idea. But I was about to find out.

After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.

Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, and returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.