When Michelle Obama gets behind something, it changes everything. As the keynote speaker at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, she brought a whole new energy to the volunteer movement. Obama began by addressing the 4,000 community organizers, non-profit workers, and volunteers in the room: “You are my people,” she said. She acknowledged that her listeners had probably heard the question, “So working in the community is nice and all, but when are you going to get a real job?”

But she’s not the only one getting behind volunteering and service these days. The star-studded cast of speakers at the opening session made me wonder if I was at political rally, a concert, or a conference in the Moscone Center.

Arianna Huffington advocated for a third C-SPAN channel–one that would cover the non-profit world.

Yes, that’s Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

And yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger really did say, “I am here . . . to pump you up.”

In a surprisingly humble and charming way, he spoke about his commitment to the Special Olympics and his position as the Special Olympics International Weight Training Coach.

And then, the Twitter rumors proved true: Bon Jovi played. A personal highlight for me was dancing like a total dork to “Living on a Prayer” in a conference hall (how could I resist?) and then noticing that Matthew McConaughey was walking by!

Maria Shriver is one tough cookie. When her interviewer said that she probably doesn’t hear “no” for an answer very often, she responded, “Oh, I hear it all the time. I just don’t pay any attention to it.” Loved her. Early that day, along with Chronicle volunteers and KaBOOM!, she helped build a playground at Bret Harte Elementary School in Bay View, San Francisco.

And how on earth did I get lucky enough to have front row seats to the action? Chronicle author of Change the World for Ten Bucks, Eugenie Harvey, was a VIP speaker at the conference, and as her editor, I got to tag along. As you can see, they loved her.

Christina Amini
Editor

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