All articles tagged with #volunteers
Seven tourists, including three children, were stranded on a cliff along Australia’s east coast as tides and 16-foot waves approached. A helicopter rescue was deemed too dangerous, so unpaid local volunteers executed a three-hour operation using ropes and an Arizona vortex to haul them to safety, preventing the ropes from being damaged by the sharp rock edges.
UT Knoxville announces Smokey XII, a two-year-old bluetick coonhound named Neyland, will debut as the next Smokey mascot at the 2026 Orange and White spring game; selected through the East Tennessee coonhound rescue community, he’s being fostered and trained by UT’s College of Veterinary Medicine with help from students and veterinarians to handle game-day environments, while Alpha Gamma Rho handlers support the effort and the Hudson family remains involved in long‑term care. Smokey XI has retired and Smokey X remains in palliative care.
Police say remains found in a Tasmanian rainforest are provisionally identified as 31-year-old Belgian backpacker Celine Cremer, who disappeared in 2023 after a hike near Philosopher's Falls in Waratah. A private search by volunteers uncovered bones, a mobile phone and clothing, prompting renewed police efforts. With the family's permission and expert reports, authorities say there is compelling evidence the remains belong to Cremer, though the coroner will officially confirm the identity.
In the wake of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, thousands of Minnesotans have volunteered to observe and document federal agents, attend safety trainings, and assist fearful neighbors, despite risks like tear gas and detention; officials say the environment is dangerous for enforcement, while supporters credit observers with slowing operations and protecting communities.
About 1,200 volunteers are rehearsing for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in a tent beside San Siro, with long daily practice, a 1,400-costume wardrobe, and a Harmony-themed program featuring star performers like Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Cecilia Bartoli, Laura Pausini and Lang Lang; the event includes two cauldrons in Milan and Cortina and a Parade of Athletes beamed from Cortina to connect the venues.
ICE operations led to temporary closures at Twin Cities restaurants, including El Rodeo in Maple Grove, as workers feared reporting to work. In response, community volunteers began signing up to fill shifts (about 75 in 90 minutes) and a GoFundMe raised roughly $6,000 to support employees with groceries and pay, with the aim of reopening soon.
As Wikipedia marks its 25th anniversary, it faces political attacks, relentless AI scraping that strains servers, and a shrinking pool of volunteers, threatening the site’s founding ideals of neutral, noncommercial, human-edited knowledge. External pressures include proposed UK age-gating, Saudi editor imprisonments, and China blocks, while debates about AI’s impact on human knowledge deepen. Wikimedia’s new CEO Bernadette Meehan aims to navigate these challenges, but renewal of editor engagement and sustainable funding remain critical to keeping Wikipedia a trusted knowledge base used by AI and search engines.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude to the institutions and volunteers who contributed to the Jubilee Year of Hope in Rome, highlighting their often unseen efforts that enabled millions of pilgrims to experience hope and spiritual renewal. He emphasized the importance of hope for young people and encouraged ongoing faith and role models, concluding with a blessing and a Jubilee crucifix as a symbol of gratitude.
Debian's Data Protection Team has become inactive as all volunteers have stepped down, leaving the project without dedicated personnel to handle GDPR and privacy issues. The Debian Project Leader has called for new volunteers, emphasizing the importance of experience and trust, to help re-establish the team and address data protection concerns.
KDE's 'This Week In Plasma' series, a popular update on Plasma desktop developments, will become less frequent or possibly go on hiatus due to a lack of volunteer contributors, as its creator Nate Graham has less time to dedicate to it because of increased work and family commitments.
A six-month ranger position is available on the uninhabited Handa Island in Scotland, offering the chance to monitor seabirds and manage visitors, with requirements including wildlife knowledge and strong people skills, and accommodations provided in a remote setting.
In Chicago's suburbs, volunteer groups like the People's Patrol are actively warning migrants about ICE presence, helping them document enforcement actions, and advocating for community safety amid increased immigration crackdowns, despite facing threats and aggressive responses from federal authorities.
Iran plans to mobilize 80,000 volunteers in Tehran to promote social and religious discipline, including hijab enforcement, amid ongoing public opposition and civil protests against mandatory hijab laws, with efforts to monitor online spaces and enforce legal compliance.
NASA is seeking citizen scientists, industry employees, and volunteers to help track the Artemis 2 spacecraft during its lunar mission in 2026, aiming to enhance understanding of external tracking capabilities and support the agency's transition to a commercial-first approach for future Artemis missions.
NASA is seeking volunteers to passively track the Artemis II mission, a crewed lunar flyby scheduled tentatively for April 2026, to help monitor the Orion capsule's radio signals during its 10-day journey around the Moon, following a similar initiative during Artemis I.