Volunteerism in Jacksonville at record level

A record number of people reached out to help others in Jacksonville during one of the toughest economic climates in history, says Dr. Judith Smith, CEO of HandsOn Jacksonville.

"The Corporation for National and Community Service reported that the value of volunteering in Jacksonville in 2011 represented about $747.3 million of people-power infused into our nonprofit and public serving organizations," Smith said.

The growth of volunteerism was so profound that HandsOn Jacksonville moved into the top five of all of the HandsOn organizations in the country. Smith said it make an especially important impact on any community in times of economic hardship.

Smith credits Synovus Bank’s support of the initiative, "It’s Time We Donate" for inspiring people to reach out and volunteer.

"We were delighted to partner with Synovus Bank to spotlight and encourage our corporate community to help transform our community through volunteerism," Smith said.

The goal of the "It's Time We Donate" effort is to encourage businesses and individuals to give of their time to non-profit organizations—one person at a time.

"We consider ourselves a partner in helping people overcome challenges and maximize opportunities to improve their quality of life and in turn improve the community," said Scott Preston, executive vice president for Synovus Bank. "This project is one more way for our company and our team members to help those in need in our community."

Both Preston and Smith add that despite the overwhelming number of people who are now volunteering, the need is great and it isn’t too late for you to get involved. Visit ItsTimeWeDonate.com to get started.