Official hopes to build bank of volunteers

DAYTON -There are probably people out there who want to volunteer but don't know how to get involved.

At least that's the idea some Dayton residents trying to start a volunteer list are banking on.

Jannette Hoffert, supervisor for Central Lyon Parks and Recreation, is trying to start a volunteer bank any organization from Mound House to Silver Springs can dip into for volunteers.

"We have all these organizations in (Lyon County), and all of us are short volunteers," Hoffert said. "We're trying to figure out a way to get people involved."

Through the Central Lyon Park's and Recreation, Hoffert wants to start a volunteer bank. The idea is to send out a mass mailing asking some Lyon county residents what kind of things they'd like to be involved in and how much time they want to spend doing it. When organizations have a function, they can call and find a volunteer who wants to help in that area. Or maybe people want to serve on a city committee but don't know how to get started. The volunteer bank would allow volunteers to decided where and how much time they spend volunteering.

"Volunteering is totally a feel good thing," Hoffert said. "There are a lot of people who like to do things for others and for their communities, and they volunteer for those reasons. They want to feel good and help their communities."

Hoffert will be working on the project through the winter and said she hopes to have the bank completed by spring.

She said she doesn't know exactly how this will all pan out, and if anyone has ideas on how to make it work, they're welcome to call her.

"If there's anyone who wants to help get this started, we'll take all the help and suggestions we can get," Hoffert said. "I think there are a lot of people out there who want to get involved, but they're not sure how. So many people say 'I'd have helped if you would have just called me.'

"There are tons of really good projects and organizations going on in our community, but there are a handful of people who run these kinds of projects, and they burn out. We'd like to spread it around so others can help out."

For information, call Hoffert at 246-6227