Volunteers are badly needed to help run civic events such as IlluminAqua, so the chamber's special events team is touring the area to recruit able bodies for its volunteer registry. If more people don't come out to help, there's always a chance community events could be cancelled, said Melanie Olah, of the chamber's special events department.

"That's why we're doing this, because we have such a shortage," said Olah at the chamber's first recruitment stop at the Seaway Mall on July 31. Olah got five new volunteers signed up that day.

When the campaign was launched last week, the chamber had a list of 20 active volunteers, ready to be deployed to where need be. More are definitely needed, said Olah.

There are many reasons why some people may not volunteer who should, said Olah, including a feeling that it's just more work on top of the normal routine. But volunteering is often a rewarding experience in a relaxing atmosphere, she said.

For instance, a young man recently joined the IlluminAqua team after being recruited to volunteer. Olah did a follow-up interview with him and found that he thoroughly enjoyed it, she said.

"He wasn't expecting that," she said. "A lot of people who organize these events are fun people."

The volunteer registry campaign is a strategy developed to go hand in hand with the chamber's new resource centre on Merritt Island, funded by a Trillium grant, said Olah. Any community groups or service clubs who rent the centre will have a ready list of volunteers for any event they wish to run.

But it's all dependent on the number of people signed to the list, she added.

"The more we have, the easier it will be, because we won't be relying on the same people," she said.

The chamber's volunteer registry booth plans to continue to hit the mall, the farmers markets in both Welland and Pelham and schools when they reopen in September. Anyone interested can sign up on the spot for a chance to win small prizes, said Olah.

Applications for the registry are also available at the chamber office on East Main Street.