JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It may sound hard to believe. Mike White washes pans at the Jacksonville Beach Mission House. He doesn't earn a paycheck for his services. But he is actually helping the economy.
"Obviously the numbers are there to show the impact that it has on our community," said Mike White, president of Client Focused Media.
Action News put it to the test. According to the HandsOn Network, a nationwide agency putting volunteers to work, on average a janitor or cleaner earns $10.52 an hour. The Mission House has 400 regular volunteers. If they all donate an hour of time at that rate, they're giving $4,208. It adds up. The Corporation for National and Community Service did the math. In Jacksonville for 2011, volunteerism had an economic impact of $747.3 million.
"My company last year, we donated 300 hours of time to the community," said Alex Sifankis of Jacksonville Wealth Builders.
Sifakis says he has his team donate time every month on the company dime. He says the sacrifice is worth it to give back and help the city succeed.
"When your employees know that you have a vested interest in the community and you actually care, it makes people like working for the company and proves a lot of value in general so that's why we do it," he said.
White also started the "It's Time We Donate" movement, where businesses in the community can pledge volunteer time for non-profits that can use the help. Places like the Mission House say they simply couldn't survive without it.
If you want like to join the movement, visit the
website.
