Rahul Singh, a Toronto paramedic and founder of GlobalMedic, a disaster relief organization made of volunteer paramedics, police officers and firefighters, has made Time magazine’s 2010 list of 100 people who have most affected the world.

He is in lofty company, sharing a spot in the Hero category with former

U.S. President Bill Clinton. Others on the full list include President Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, Oprah, Prince and Steve Jobs.

“Now I’m on the list and going to a gala next week in New York to be honoured … this is not wing night at the local pub,” Singh joked. “I’m in a little over my head.”

The list appears in Time’s May 10 issue, available Friday.

Singh, who works full-time as a paramedic, founded GlobalMedic in 1998. The organization has responded to more than 50 disasters, including the recent earthquake in Haiti. Singh is described in the Time essay by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive as a “shining example of selfless effort.”

But Singh said the honour isn’t really about him but about the organization.

“The only reason I’m getting this award is because of our front-line volunteers ... the paramedics, police officers and firefighters who risk their lives and go off into the fray to give medical care and clean water to disaster victims.”

In Time’s introductory essay, Singh and GlobalMedic are heralded for their efforts in Haiti and are described as one of the first groups on the ground after January’s earthquake. GlobalMedic provided millions of litres of water to those most in need, it says. Their efforts and their innovations, like the efforts of others on the list, “will help change the world for years to come.”

Bellerive summed up the contribution made by Singh and GlobalMedic in the Time essay: “I believe I speak for all my fellow Haitians when I say how overwhelmed I am by the actions of the many who came to Haiti’s rescue in our time of dire need. In spite of the difficulties, their efforts are ongoing. They came spontaneously and expected little in return. I must say that this has lifted me up and greatly restored my faith in the fellowship of humanity.

“A shining example of this selfless effort is Rahul Singh, a paramedic from Toronto, who founded GlobalMedic in 1998, providing disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of catastrophes using volunteer professional emergency workers. Singh and his group of volunteers wasted no time in arriving in Port-au-Prince and setting about providing clean drinking water and medical aid wherever it was needed. Over an eight-week period, his team distributed 2.4 million gallons of clean water, while GlobalMedic’s two inflatable field hospitals brought medical assistance to more than 7,000 people. They also trained a local team of Haitians to take over the work, and right now that is just what they are doing.

“By providing these three essentials, medical aid, water and training, they have left a lasting contribution to a grateful Haitian population.”

Singh, meanwhile, has other plans, such as a project to build semi-permanent housing in Haiti.

Next week’s gala at the Time Warner Center in New York City could end up being a fundraising bonanza for GlobalMedic, Singh said. He plans to ask the others on the Top 100 list for donations to help GlobalMedic provide assistance and emergency relief.

Among others on Time’s most influential people are:

• Han Han—The Shanghai native, 27, became China’s most popular blogger last year. He zeroes in on the ills of contemporary Chinese society.

• Matt Berg – The 32-year-old technology director for ChildCount is leading the push to track disease in Africa with 160-character text messages, or SMS.

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• Malalai Joya, 32, started underground schools to educate girls in Afghanistan. The politician has bravely denounced the presence of what she considers warlords and war criminals in the parliament.

• Will Allen, 62, one of the leaders of a new movement in America’s low-income neighborhoods, growing good food for themselves.

• Liya Kebede, 32, appointed the World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2005 and the former model was also named a Young Global Leader this year by the World Economic Forum.

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