Founders of VSS: Ravi Dutta passed away unexpected in 1997. He was one of the main founders of VSS in the western hemnisphere after a deeply inspired visit to India in which he met the great humanitarian social reformer, poet and spiritual master Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii. Here some excerpts of his inspirational speech in 1989: " The rapid changes in Eastern Europe seem to suggest that the dream of a just and equitable world may become a reality. People are starting to join together and take the future of our planet into their own hands. As we are passing into the 90's from the "me" into what might become the "we" decade, materialistic ambition is replaced by compassion and thirst for inner fulfilment..." "For Volunteers Social Service, social development must be based on self-help and self-growth. We do not believe in dealing with human problems by administering welfare; we believe in helping people to help themselves. And we believe that the critical factor for bringing real progress in people's lives is nurturing individual change-change in attitude, motivation, self-image and lifestyle. Our programs should be a blend of social action and self-discovery." "True change starts within and true welfare has the good of people at heart and the health of the planet in mind." Ravi Dutta was professor of Business and Management at Rutgers University NJ and Raritan college. He left two sons and his wife. A scholarship fund was started by the department of International Relations in his name to help poor students.     Paul Elsner: After absolving a successful military carreer in a LRRP unit, risking his life to save his team-members during the vietnam war, he became a nurse and devoted the rest of his life to service in action. He passed away in March 2004 after a severe illness. The emblem of his patrol... During a boys camp on a boat...   1989 would turn out to be the year where he could not get rest, as one disaster after another kept coming his way... In Early May 1989 Elsner rushed with a team of relief volunteers to Bangladesh after a cyclonic storm devastated large parts of that country's coastal area. His team provided emergency medical treatment to 1,100 patients, an effort for which he was personally lauded by Bangladesh's minister of Social Welfare and Relief. In the fall of 89', powerful Hurricane Hugo rampaged through the central Carribean. Elsner joined a group of volunteers offering disaster relief to the hurricane's victims on the British Virgin Islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. Soon after his return from the Carribean, the San Francisco Bay area was hit by a severe earthquake, causing over 250 deaths and leaving 20,000 people homeless. Buildings were twisted, highways and bridges collapsed, Strong rain storms plus fires caused by gas leaks added to the disaster. The quake's worst devastation occured in Santa Cruz County, where the damage toll estimate was over one billion dollars. It was to Santa Cruz county that Elsner and his Volunteers Social Service Team headed. They decided that the community of Watsonville was in special need of relief help, as nearly 2500 of its people were forced to abandon their unsafe homes or trailers. Describing the situation he found there, Elsner says: "The housing situation in Watsonville - with its many migrant farm workers - was already pretty bad before the quake. Families were living in garages or in cramped conditions with more than two to three families in an apartment." Providing effective relief to some of Watsonville's large Hispanic population proved challenging. About 600 illegal aliens took hiding in the woods for fear of being deported. To these earthquake victims, the large relief organizations were seen as being affiliated with the government. Recalls Elsner:"In coordination with the Red Cross and the Agency for Migrant Relief it was decided that VSS would work especially with these farm workers. As a smaller, more flexible organization, it was easier for us to win their trust." Unwashed faces and crying children greeted Elsner's team when they arrived at the displaced earthquake victim's tent cities. With the financial support of the Advanced Micro Devices corporation, VSS built sixteen tent platforms in three tent cities, put up 21 tents, and built two large areas for cooking, dining and taking shower. Regular food and clothing distribution helped people deal with their sudden losses. Later, the volunteers helped people to reconstruct their homes and trailers and to do carpentry, plumbing and electrical repairs. Elsner remembers being invited by the farm workers to share the little food they had for themselves: "Despite all the pain, people start to reach out in times of distaster and to hold together like one big family."