Scoops of appreciation: honoring our volunteers

August 30, 2023| Community, People

By: Holly Odgers

It was such a treat serving up ice cream for our volunteers at our volunteer appreciation open house last Thursday. Thank you to all who joined us; it was wonderful to share a delightful evening filled with smiles, camaraderie, and plenty of Cliff’s ice cream! (Photo album HERE.) And to ALL of our volunteers, we would like to express our sincerest appreciation for all you do. Your efforts, enthusiasm, and commitment are the reason we can accomplish so much for our lake and community.

To put things in perspective, in 2022, an impressive total of 223 volunteers dedicated an astounding 2,831 hours of their time to assist with our educational field trips, events like our annual Lake Hopatcong Block Party and Lake Loop, ongoing Water Scouts monitoring and trail maintenance, and even gardening and landscaping, mailings, and office help.

According to the Independent Sector, the estimated value of volunteer time in New Jersey for 2022 was $33.82 per hour. Crunching the numbers, the collective value of the time our volunteers generously contributed reaches a remarkable $95,744!

These statistics are more than just numbers on paper; they are a testament to the immense impact of our volunteers. We're continually amazed by the readiness of so many in our community to roll up their sleeves with us, and though these numbers provide some perspective, we understand that the true worth of their contributions goes beyond any monetary value—it's priceless.

If the idea of joining our vibrant volunteer community excites you, head over to our volunteer page. There, you can sign up for our volunteer list to receive upcoming opportunities via email, register for current volunteer openings (Lake Loop is coming soon!), delve into our volunteer handbook, and even explore this year's volunteer orientation video to gain deeper insights.

And mark your calendars for Saturday, November 4, for our Lake-Wide Community Cleanup, in conjunction with the 5-year, 5-foot drawdown. As the water is lowered on New Jersey's largest lake, we're calling for all hands on deck to help us remove litter and debris from the exposed lakebed. Stay tuned for more details and a volunteer sign-up coming your way soon!

Once again, we'd like to thank our volunteers—you—from the bottom of our hearts for being an essential part of our mission. Together, we're making waves of positive change in our community and beyond.