How we touch people's lives (Taken from Callerlink 162 Febuary 2004)
Jeff Garbutt

I am constantly amazed at the effect we have on dancers. I'm sure you can all recount instances of dancers who meet at your clubs and become lifelong partners. Or the once shy person who comes to life. We touch peoples' lives in so many ways. It makes our efforts all orthwhile.
Have you ever stopped to think how much of a difference you are making to the world? Square Dancing is the ultimate "barrier breaking" activity in existence. People from all ages, cultures, religions, financial status, ethnic backgrounds and sexual preferences know they can dance together without fear of discrimination. (Yeah I know it doesn't always happen like that - but in the overwhelming number of cases it does.) So it is only natural that we are having an affect on other people.
We may not be making big changes such as ending the Cold War, bringing down the Berlin Wall, ending Hunger or the like. But we are bringing people together, letting them smile, enjoy each other's company, learning about other people and other places. Surely these are achievements that are adding to the overall betterment of society. In effect we are not just callers we are ambassadors.

This also implies responsibility. Be careful how you treat your dancers and the words you use. Use your influence wisely.