April is also National Volunteer Month.

Last week I learned April was National Poetry Month. This week I learned it’s also National Volunteer Month.

Great, I thought, another easy column topic! While that is true, it’s also a great opportunity to give a big thank you to the scores of volunteers who keep every community running, and to mention a way you too can be a part of this army of do-gooding go-getters.

Non-profit organizations, from Helpline House to the Literacy Council, depend on volunteers to fill out their staff rosters and perform worthwhile jobs for little or no pay. In the case of the Literacy Council, volunteer English tutor hours are logged, and the group’s government funding is based in part on what they would have had to pay for those services.

Volunteering is an excellent way to give something back to our community here in Kitsap County, which provides a quality of life that is priceless.

But volunteering is not all giving. Someone once said that there is no such thing as altruism, that everyone gives of themselves for what they get in return. That seems a little cynical, but it’s true that volunteering makes you feel good. That in itself can be enough of a reward, but sometimes there are other incentives as well.

Take for example, community theaters. Every town in the county has at least one, and they all depend on volunteers to do tasks from painting scenery and pounding nails to taking tickets and handing out programs.

Not everyone has the guts to sing or perform in a community theater production, but there are plenty of opportunities to contribute to the effort behind the scenes.

Bainbridge Performing Arts, which stages some of the most complex productions around, has a constant need for volunteers.

BPA administrator and actor Tim Davidson said they need nine people every night just to run the front of the house operations. This includes one person in the box office, four ushers handing out programs and helping people find their seats and four people to run the concessions. They usually have a different crew for every night of a performance, so that can add up to more than 100 volunteers over the run of a show.

Those folks are rewarded with a free ticket to the show.

Behind the scenes, technical director Mark Sell and stage manager Deirdre McCollom are assisted by volunteers who build sets, paint, run the lights, sew costumes and generally provide traffic control for the actors backstage.

BPA will honor its volunteers with a celebration at the end of April.

To find out about volunteer opportunities at BPA call the theater office at (206) 842-8578. They could probably use some volunteers to run the volunteer appreciation party.

In Poulsbo, Shari Patrick is in charge of volunteers at the Jewel Box Theatre and she said they have volunteer opportunities for “absolutely everyone.”

She noted that the theater is an all-volunteer organization, from the director to the ushers.

“The theater would not exist without them,” she said. “I can’t say enough about our volunteers.”

Volunteer opportunities at the Jewel Box include ticket takers, house manager, assistant house manager, greeter, stage construction and backstage manager. They even need people “on book,” who sit at each rehearsal and read the script along with the actors, and give them lines if they need help.

Patrick noted that many couples volunteer together, and both then get to see the play for free.

“It makes a fun night out for them,” she said.

Volunteering can also be a family activity, as Patrick said there are opportunities for people of all ages.

The Jewel Box has just begun holding orientation sessions for prospective volunteers, to help them learn the ropes more efficiently.

The first orientation session is 1 p.m. April 15, with the next one 7 p.m. April 19. For more information call Patrick at (360) 697-5553.

“We’re dedicated to making (the Jewel Box) a fun place to volunteer,” she said.

CSTOCK, Central Stage Theatre of County Kitsap, in Silverdale, stages musicals that always involve large casts of mainly children, and lots of costumes and sets. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities there. For information call (360) 692-9940.

If you want to be a volunteer coordinator, Roving Players in Kingston has an opening. For information about this or other opportunities call Sue Michaelis in the business office at (360) 297-3184 or email onstage@rovingplayers.org.

Bremerton Community Theatre has a list of volunteer opportunities on its Web site, www.bremertoncommunitytheatre.org. In addition to front of house and backstage volunteer jobs, the theater is looking for an advertising and promotion writer. If you’ve ever considered a career in media relations, this would be great experience, and look impressive on your resume.

The Western Washington Center for the Arts in Port Orchard is also looking for volunteers for every facet of the theater’s operation, from lighting to ushers. For information call (360) 769-7469, or apply online at

www.wwca.us.

And in East Bremerton, the Changing Scene Theatre Northwest also depends heavily on volunteers.

Theater Director Pavlina Morris said the theater couldn’t operate without its cadre of volunteers.

“We’re always looking for more,” she said. “You can never have too many.”

The volunteers are rewarded, she said, with comp tickets, pizza and fun. Sounds good to me.