When not engaged in these volunteer and "policy" roles, I was directly at work with people in need of counseling or jobs or housing (Yates & Youniss, 2006).

I was struck by how much of my experience was shaped by professional staffs who were often trapped into behaving as functionaries and, above all, how uncritical the experience was for all of us (Yates & Youniss, 2006). To be sure, there were problems to be solved; usually those of budgets and personnel. Only occasionally would we debate our mission and its priorities. More often, our concerns had to do with money and public relations. I recalled endless attention to operational matters, often tedious, never resolved, and always recurring. Seldom, however, did we address the meaning of what we were doing; it was enough, apparently, to be doing good things. I was, in short, a good volunteer.

Looking back, I realized how...
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