Alexandria Jaycees' Community Impact

I ran across an interesting report a few days ago, and thought I'd share it with you. The report wasn't done this year, but you'll get the idea.

"Volunteerism is an enormous economic force, yet it is never mentioned in business school or in economics departments," says Charles Hoadley, former Chief Economist, Bank of America. The Independent Sector, a think tank that analyzes the nonprofit industry, has released a survey showing one component of that impact:

83.9 million American adults volunteer, representing the equivalent of over 9 million full-time employees at a value of $239 billion.

That prompted me to consider the organization where I spend most of my volunteer time - the Alexandria Jaycees here in Virginia. In our own community, the Jaycees' impact can loosely be measured in the same way as the independent think tank, Independent Sector.

In a typical year the Alexandria Jaycees:

• Help 9 local non profits deliver services to children, seniors or low-income Alexandrians
• Conduct 27 community service projects
• Provide about 300 total hours of community service

And, this is in addition to many training seminars and socials conducted each year. Not too shabby!