Kansas City Star

From the time the sky goes dark to when the sun comes up again, and the hours in between, they work quietly across the metro. No time clocks to punch or pay checks they're working for. They just help, volunteering their time because - simply put - someone else needs it. A woman prays at midnight, kneeling in an empty chapel working her way through a Rosary. She sends up requests for strangers, a far away land ravaged by a tsunami and people she knows. Others help fight fires, play music in nursing homes, or help patrons through an art gallery. The Star's Mike Ransdell and Todd Feeback followed four volunteers as they went about their activities Thursday, March 24, 2011.