‘Spontaneous Volunteers’ Cause Problems

Monday, 03 January 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Sometimes doing the right thing can get you in trouble. The Boston Globe has a cautionary tale about “spontaneous volunteers,” people who “descend after major disasters, fueled by a sense of adventure and a compulsion to do more than donate money.” Without affiliation from a recognized group, the paper warns that do-gooders can end up injured, dead or in jail. The Globe tells the story of Paul Waggoner, who went to Haiti after last year’s earthquake and is now sitting in the country’s most notorious jail, accused of kidnapping a young boy.