Illustration courtesy Pixabay.

There is a proverb often attributed to the Dalai Lama that I am keeping in mind as we begin 2025: “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

This relates so clearly to our Community Foundation’s motto – and belief – that each of us can “Be the One” to make a difference. In our region, many do just that, and my hope for the New Year is that in each of our daily lives we can find hope and comfort in acts of service of all sizes and scopes of visibility. 

In Sarasota County, nearly 55,000 people volunteer on an annual basis, outnumbering paid nonprofit staff five to one. The financial value of their service is sizeable. On average, the value of a volunteer hour in the state of Florida in 2023 was $31.51. If the average volunteer contributes a seasonally adjusted estimate of one hour per month, Sarasota volunteers contribute approximately $20 million each year in nonprofit support.

Whether reading to children, distributing food to families, ushering for local theater productions, or many more activities, every volunteer brightens our communities, helping people and strengthening the incredible causes that enhance the quality of life here. Volunteers fuel the vital and valuable work of nonprofits, making it possible to deliver programs and services that make our community the special place that it is. 

When people come together to volunteer, they realize that these large and daunting challenges can be chipped away, bit by bit. That empowers our community, and it also empowers each volunteer. Realizing you can make a difference, whatever your means, helps shatter the myth that our destiny is in the hands of just a few people, or totally dependent on forces out of our control. There is strength in numbers, and a team of volunteers is evidence of that: uniting for a cause creates a groundswell of positive impact. Like a gorgeous tapestry, each thread is an important component of the outcome. It’s a reminder of the beauty, spirit and—yes, power—each of us has to build the future we want to see, one strand at a time.

Other benefits of volunteering have been well documented and provide myriad ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness that U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has identified as our most pressing public health concern. Imbuing a sense of purpose, volunteering is good for physical and mental health, and learning new skills through volunteering keeps us connected, current and agile. 

Thankfully, we live in a community with thousands of opportunities for digging in and helping out. Finding opportunities for volunteering is as easy as logging on to TheGivingPartner.org and searching organizations with volunteer opportunities—a single click leads to dozens of ways our community can get involved. 

The start of a new year is a fantastic time to embrace the ethos of starting where you are, with what you have, of activating the idea that when we come together, we can achieve anything. Imagine if Sisyphus had a team of volunteers, all focused on the task of moving that rock—suddenly that strenuous lift, the struggle and pressure of it all, would melt away, propelling us forward with amazing progress.

Roxie Jerde is President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Illustration courtesy Pixabay.