I want to share some amazing numbers:

• Sarasota County Extension’s 282 volunteers contributed 13,604 hours of service, worth over $448,000, in 2025.
• That volunteer service is equal to another 6.5 full-time staff, which, on our small team, is an increase of more than 24%.
• The total volunteer time in 2025 increased from 11,800 and 12,800 hours in the previous two years.

Fantastic figures. But, we don’t view Sarasota County Extension’s volunteers as just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are family.

Thanks to volunteer efforts, Extension is able to increase its educational impact, which amplifies the behavioral changes, economic growth, and youth successes core to what we do.

The time Extension volunteers spend leading demonstration garden tours, maintaining community gardens, tabling at community events, answering plant clinic questions, leading 4-H clubs, engaging youth and families in interactive activities, teaching classes, serving as Energy Coaches, and so much more leads directly to people taking action.

Community members who interact with Extension volunteers learn and then take action by reducing fertilizer inputs, improving their irrigation efficiency, protecting habitat, saving energy, growing their own food, and more. Those actions protect scarce water resources, support wildlife, reduce household costs, and support healthy families.

The youth supported by volunteers in 4-H take better care of the animals and plants in their projects, build professional skills that help them get into college and find careers they’re passionate about, and build relationships that make them feel supported in an increasingly disconnected world.

Our volunteers also build connections and make staff’s work time and the service time of other volunteers more enjoyable. Their smiling faces bring joy and comfort to those they serve, to their fellow volunteers, and to this Extension team.

We’re not alone in the time and dedication that volunteers provide, of course. Many organizations across our community welcome  — even rely on — volunteers. But, Extension’s volunteers are unique.

They give deeply of themselves, their expertise, and their passions for years, sometimes decades. They value the time learning almost as much as the time doing. They are in it for the long game. And, we are so grateful. Because that’s how we’ll achieve our goals: Together, through consistent, committed, and science-based actions moving the needle on issues critical to what makes our community special.

During National Volunteer Week and year-round, we at Sarasota County Extension are grateful for each of our amazing volunteers!

If you’re interested in volunteering with Extension, learn more at our Volunteer webpage or by emailing sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu.

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