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2010 Olympic Bid Volunteers brought passion and commitment to their role.

It was a cold clear afternoon when Linda Seifred got the call. Two Whistlerites wanted to get married right away. "I said well, geez, I’m tied up all afternoon," sad Seifred.

It was a cold clear afternoon when Linda Seifred got the call.

Two Whistlerites wanted to get married right away.

"I said well, geez, I’m tied up all afternoon," sad Seifred.

"I am a volunteer at the 2010 Bid Office and I have to go over there between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m."

The would-be groom said, ‘Well I know where that is we’ll come over there.’"

Asked if she had thought of taking the afternoon off to do the wedding Seifred replied, "Oh, no. I had already made the commitment and when you make that commitment you have got to be there for them."

Just the kind of answer you would expect from someone who has logged over 50 hours at the resort’s 2010 Olympic Bid Office.

When Seifred arrived for her shift at the office she told Tina Symko, the Bid’s information centre manager, and fellow volunteer Adrian Waldendzewicz all about the request.

"I said I hope you don’t mind but this couple wants to get married and I told them it would be okay for them to come over here this afternoon," said Seifred.

Symko and Waldendzewicz welcomed the idea with whoops of excitement, and both asked if they could be witnesses.

"Right around 4 p.m., the couple showed up," said Seifred.

"They had managed to round up a couple of friends to celebrate with them as well.

"The (bid office’s Olympic) flame was on and because it was a short winter day the sun was actually beginning to set, so we had this clear sky, the sun was setting and the flame was going.

"I had them all lined up with the flame behind them and Tina was crying.

"It turned out to be wonderful and it was really romantic. We talk about that wedding a lot. It was really a pretty, pretty scene."

There’s no doubt that the volunteers of the 2010 Bid Office will have stories to tell, whether Whistler wins the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games or not.

The resort and its partner Vancouver will find out July 2 if they will host the Games. Salzburg, Austria and Pyeongchang, South Korea are also in the competition.

As the days count down to the final decision, many within the bid organization are taking a moment to think about the thousands of hours volunteers have put in to the bring the Games to B.C.

"The impact of volunteers is huge," said 2010 Bid president John Furlong.

"We could never have delivered what we did without the people that have come to help the bid.

"We have volunteers in places we don’t even know. There are volunteers out there that we have never met, we just know they are there.

"I think in many ways the fact that there have been so many volunteers from so many places has been very humbling for all the people who work here for a living. We recognize that so many people are counting on us.

"So I think it has been a very important part of building the spirit and momentum and we could never, ever have delivered the scope of what we have delivered without the volunteers."

Furlong left for Prague, where the International Olympic Committee will announce the 2010 decision, yesterday.

One of the important pieces of information he plans to tell the IOC is that the 2010 bid organization already has signed up 50,000 volunteers should Whistler and Vancouver win.

"That is a piece of information that we are going to impart in Prague,’ said Furlong.

"It is very, very important."

Furlong said the final push to win the hearts and minds of the IOC will start in earnest tomorrow from the Vancouver Whistler 2010 headquarters in Prague.

"Wherever there is an event that you are allowed to attend…there is the opportunity to talk to them and see them again," said Furlong who admits he isn’t getting any sleep these days.

"We have a lot of friends in the movement and we will use those five days to build a very positive momentum."

Still cagey about Whistler and Vancouver’s chances of winning Furlong would say: "When you don’t cut yourself short and you don’t cut corners the laws of natural justice and fairness very often prevail in your favour.

"I think we have a very, very good chance and there is a very good buzz about Vancouver, but there is a bit of work to do."

Furlong believes Whistler has played a special role in the

bid to host the Games.

"Whistler is doing this country an enormously positive service and I think that Whistler is such a shining jewel and a star in the bid that if we are successful (then) Whistler will have played a huge role in getting it," he said.

"(The resort) is making things possible for communities that have a lot less and I think that is huge and we should all care about that.

"I think Whistler is going to get absolutely the result they want and they are going to be able to manage their own destiny in this and be one of the great communities of the world. We have to make it that way."

Those are encouraging words for the many volunteers up here as many joined the bid to protect the integrity of the community and promote the positive legacies of the Games.

Carson was a naysayer when he first walked into the bid office and he admits to being a bit obnoxious when first approached to volunteer. He asked several questions, some of which the volunteer couldn’t answer.

"Someone said they would get back to me and within a day someone else got back to me with the answers,’ said Carson.

"I was rather impressed that they had done that because so often people say they are going to get back to you and they don’t."

Even Carson’s two kids Iain, 13, and 11-year-old Evan are volunteers now.

"I think having local volunteers has been good for the local community," said Carson.

"I think when those who are against it can hear from other locals what some of the benefits might be to Whistler, and not just here either as there will be benefits that accrue to the rest of the province as well, it can make a difference."

For volunteer Mary Scott, who helped at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and attended the Calgary 1988 Games, bringing the event to Whistler is a chance to show off her home town.

"Being the Host City gives you tremendous pride," said Scott.

"To have all these people from around the world be in your city, it is so important. I know it sounds so cliché but it isn’t."

Scott lays the success of the volunteer program in Whistler at the feet of Symko, Director of Community Relations Maureen Douglas, and the Manager of Community Consultation Debbie Smythe.

"I have done lots of other volunteer events and I can say without a doubt that this has been the best volunteer experience I have had and I credit that directly to those three women," said Scott.

"They have made it so much fun. They have made us feel so valued as volunteers. They have made us feel that we are really making a difference."