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Marion County proclaims Volunteer Week and highlights 2024 volunteer contributions valued at $2.3 million
Summary
The Marion County Board of Commissioners adopted a proclamation designating April 20–26, 2025, as Volunteer Week and received the county's 2024 volunteer annual report showing 1,927 volunteers logged roughly 66,000 hours of service, valued at about $2,309,235.
The Marion County Board of Commissioners on April 16 proclaimed April 20–26, 2025, Volunteer Week in Marion County and heard a summary of the county's 2024 volunteer annual report.
The presentation by Sherry Lintner, volunteer services coordinator for Marion County, reported 1,927 volunteers donating more than 66,000 hours in 2024; using the Independent Sector's Oregon hourly rate for 2024 ($34.74), staff calculated those hours at $2,309,235 in estimated economic value.
Lintner said the reported totals likely undercount volunteer time and highlighted how volunteers support multiple county programs. "Volunteers truly make the dog shelter a place of hope," she said, and added that volunteers support the county fair, law library, justice court, victim assistance, emergency management and search-and-rescue operations.
The report broke out several program highlights: 35 student interns logged 8,485 hours (about $300,000 in value); one AmeriCorps VISTA member contributed 1,320 hours (about $45,000 value); 150 advisory-board volunteers reported 2,407 hours across 18 boards. Search-and-rescue volunteers (including a youth contingent) accounted for 85 volunteers and 9,013 hours; a cohort of support-group volunteers at the jail totaled 108 individuals and 1,261 hours. Victim assistance volunteers completed specialized training and then provided crisis and ongoing support to victims of assault, domestic violence and other crimes.
Hersh Sangster, chair of the Marion County Parks Commission, urged more community members to apply for advisory and park-related roles: "Attending meetings, sharing your ideas, being willing to go out...you actually see what it's like." Dana Castonia of the Marion County Fair Board described key volunteers'role organizing the fair and said the fair relies on a mixture of appointed board members and additional "key volunteers" who carry out day-of operations and competitions.
The board also approved a proclamation recognizing Volunteer Week. Commissioner Willis moved to adopt the proclamation; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
The presentation noted current volunteer needs: Farm Direct Nutrition Program seeks four seasonal volunteers for the growing season; Earth Day and fair volunteers were also invited to sign up. Lintner said printed copies of the 2024 annual report were available at the meeting and that the full report and volunteer-opportunity listings would be posted on the county website.
For more information or to apply to volunteer, Marion County directs interested residents to the county volunteer web page and program contacts listed in the annual report.
