Bart Ruud doesn’t seek the limelight. So when he wins a major award for volunteerism one day, lands on the front page on another, and climbs into the front seat for Auburn’s annual Fourth of July parade, his cover has been irreparably broken.

“You know, I don’t do it for the recognition,” Ruud said as we waited in the parade staging area Saturday night. “There’s just a lot to do in this community.”

Ruud, the 2009 McCann Award winner for his broad-based volunteer work, joined me for a gentle evening drive down Lincoln Way and High Street last Saturday. The parade, hosted by the area Lion’s clubs, concluded at the Gold Country Fairgrounds prior to the fireworks display that punctuated a warm, but wonderful holiday celebration.

Before we climbed in the car, we chatted with parade passers-by and dignitaries alike. Last year’s McCann winner, Harvey Roper, relaxed as he waited for Congressman Tom McClintock to arrive and ride in Ralph Roper’s vintage Buick. Auburn Mayor Mike Holmes made the rounds for handshakes, pictures and the well-deserved ribbing of the newspaper publisher.

And Lion’s Club volunteers were everywhere, smiling and making sure parade entrants knew the drill.

“I retired thinking I would have all this free time to do things I didn’t do while I was working, but that’s not the way it worked out,” Ruud said. “I bought a season ski pass last year and I went once. Once!

“But I’ve met so many wonderful people doing volunteer work,” he added. “And my thinking is that when you give back to the community, you make it richer. And (the community) gives back to you in return.”

With the traditional blare of the fire engines heralding the parade, we started our engines and made the slow crawl south through town. Bart was so busy telling me about his volunteer work that he nearly forgot to start his “parade wave.”

Hundreds of people lined sections of the parade route, with most finding comfort on the shaded west side of the street. It didn’t take long for the calls of “Hey Bart!” and “Way to go, Bart!” filled the evening air. Ruud smiled and waved back, thanking everyone who acknowledged him and his work.

I smiled, too. My mind turned back to the Lion’s Club volunteers, all of whom give generously of their time on July 4th to make the parade happen. They could be with their families, I thought, grilling in the backyard or boating on the lake, but they chose to give back to the community, making it richer on the nation’s most historic day.

I recalled the numerous conversations I had with Casey Conway, the Lion’s parade honcho who encouraged me to make the McCann Award winner the centerpiece of the Journal’s parade presence. Casey is persistent, and the community is richer for it.

We turned past the Clock Tower and my thoughts turned to Ben Asgharzadeh, whose countless volunteer hours, dogged determination and passion for precision have kept the clock ticking through mechanical mishaps and vandalism.

I caught a glimpse of the Old State Theater, and was reminded of the heroic volunteer effort that continues to transform the building into the focal point connecting Downtown and Old Town.

Traveling down High Street, I thought of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce volunteers who would make sure the evening fireworks went off as planned. And the hundreds who will return in late August to transform the fairgrounds into a magical setting for the Black & White Ball.

The Journal routinely honors and promotes volunteerism in this column, but the characters usually are examples of extraordinary work, heroes of the fallen or champions of the needy. They deserve the accolades they receive, for without them the safety net would not be as strong as it is.

But this time around, let’s think about the everyday volunteer who makes a parade a possibility, a chiming clock a reality, a major event feel like an intimate evening. Without them, the community would be a little poorer many, many days of the year.

We’re all richer for them.