Volunteers Saved County More Than $1.2 Million in 2005

Mar 27, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       

Contact:  Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
               (239) 335-2777

VOLUNTEERS SAVED COUNTY MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION IN 2005/YOU TOO CAN JOIN THE EFFORT
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 27, 2006) – Each year, thousands of residents volunteer their time to Lee County programs and services, saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

They work in parks, libraries, help keep roads clean, help during hurricane recovery; some even travel to the Florida Welcome Centers at the state border to promote Southwest Florida as a tourism destination.
 
In 2005, according to recently compiled statistics, the county recorded more than 4,881 volunteers, who donated 95,325 hours (equivalent of 46 full-time employees) of their time, and saved taxpayers $1.17 million. 

Here is a breakdown by major program:

  • Library System –518 volunteers, contributing 21,553 hours, at a cost savings of $217,920.
  • Parks & Recreation – 852 volunteers, contributing 40,980 hours, cost savings of $521,807.
  • Visitor & Convention Bureau – 125 volunteers, contributing 13,631 hours, cost savings of $237,417.
  • Emergency Management – 332 volunteers, contributing 11,459 hours, cost savings $114,590.
  • Animal Services – 40 volunteers, contributing 780 hours, cost savings of $8,580.
  • Adopt-A-Road – 136 groups, 2,500+ volunteers contributing 4,728 hours, cost savings of $46,233 (3,803 bags picked up along 115 miles of road).
  • Human Services – Neighborhood Accountability Boards; 514 volunteers, contributing 2,194 hours, cost savings of $21,940.

To volunteer, here's how you can reach the following volunteer coordinators:

Below are the typical things volunteers do for each department:

Visitor & Convention Bureau – The Lee County VCB tourism ambassadors operate through the Visitor Services department located at the S.W. Florida International Airport.  They staff three domestic and international Visitor Information Booths at the airport, with plans for two more booths on the departure level in the works. Volunteers provide personal assistance to arriving visitors and passengers by answering questions about the area and the airport, help the Lee County Port Authority and Customs & Border Protection departments with passenger assistance and foreign language translation support, represent the VCB at state of Florida Welcome Centers and select trade shows or conventions, work at special community events, and collaborate with tourism partners to provide first class customer service to guests. 

Animal Services – Volunteers work in the animal shelter and help with programs and promotional events.

Emergency Management – Primarily work during an activation of the Emergency Operations Center; also volunteer at expos and events, in the message center during an emergency activation, in hurricane shelters, in bulk distribution of emergency supplies, and communications.

Library System – Shelving materials and keeping collections in good shape; assisting library users with the Internet and other electronic resources (Computer Coach); assisting with public computer training classes (Computer Coach); repairing damaged materials; assisting with clerical tasks; assisting at library programs and events; assisting with literacy projects; cleaning up library grounds; and assisting with system-wide library events.

Parks & Recreation – Assist with a variety of programs and work with participants during summer program and after-school activities like arts and crafts projects, mentoring, help with home work, coaching, score keeping; Land stewardship assistance with developed sites like the butterfly garden, natures walks, exotic weed control, planting designs.  Also assist with undeveloped sites like controlled burns, exotic plant removal, and general site improvements; Site maintenance assistance including site clean up and litter control, exotic plant and weed control; Assisting county staff at organized sporting events of site specific events with ticket takers, scorekeeper, survey takers, time keepers, etc.; Volunteering with groups that support Parks & Recreation programs and events:  Friends of Boca, Friends of Six Mile, Friends of Lakes, CABB groups, adopt-a-park groups.

Adopt-A-Road – Individuals/groups pick up litter six times or more per year by adopting at least a 1/2 mile or more of county roadway.

Neighborhood Accountability Boards – Members of the Neighborhood participate in restorative conferencing between victims, offenders and their families in order to repair harm caused by crime that impacts the neighborhood.  Each member participates in this consensus building process, focusing on three main principles: community safety, competency development, and offender accountability, resulting in a time limited case plan to restore the harm.

 

 

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