"I can conquer a mountain": ordinary people who provide extraordinary community service

The Strong Communities initiative in the Upstate region of South Carolina relies on expansion and utilization of social capital as the principal strategy in preventing child maltreatment. The 44 volunteers (out of more than 4,500) whom outreach staff identified as most central to mobilization of the community were interviewed about their background, motivation, and experience in the initiative. These exceptionally productive volunteers were less distinctive in their background than in their beliefs. Almost all were active church-goers, and many reported a strong religious foundation for their commitment to community service. The exceptional volunteers generally reported that they had become involved in Strong Communities through interaction with outreach staff of the initiative. Most appraised Strong Communities as effective in improving the community, and they regarded the initiative as providing deeper and more personally meaningful experiences than other volunteer programs in which they had participated. Strong Communities appears to be making progress toward both personal and community transformations.