Move over, Thanksgiving - as you wonderful people out there in internetland have demonstrated, Valentine's Day is one of the biggest volunteer days of the year!

We're still recieving tales of Valentine-inspired volunteer acts in our inboxes, which means that we will probably run out of Hello Kitty rub-on tattoos (but please don't let that stop you from emailing us). Next week - highlights from your great stories!

Speaking of holidays: this coming Monday, February 19th, is Presidents Day, in honor of the two greatest leaders this country has ever known, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington (neither of whom was actually born on February 19th). In honor of this day, we will be staying home from work (yes! blogging is work!), reading biographies of the founding fathers.

It was in one such book where we learned that George Washington was one of America's Greatest Volunteers. George didn't want to be president. No, sir. After the Revolutionary War was over, George had all kinds of retirement on his mind. But we needed him, because he was the only national figure our divided country could agree on for that all-important First Presidency. Naturally, he really didn't want to stay on for a second term, but the people said "George, please - one more." So he stuck it out, and led a young nation through its birth pangs and into the glorious era of two-party politics (which continues to this day).

President Washington may have been paid for his work - thus disqualifying him from official volunteer status - but he wasn't in it for the money. He did what he did because the people needed him to be the leader that he was, and he loved the people, so he obliged. Remember - we are a great nation of volunteers.

Happy Presidents Day!