More than 722,000 Pima County residents are 15 and older.

Imagine if 75 percent spent an hour this month to mentor a child, teach an adult to read, help plan a community event or head another cause.

That’s 541,500 hours.

Based on Arizona’s minimum wage, it costs more than $3.6 million to pay for that much work.

Do you have that kind of money? No?

But I bet you have that kind of time.

Let’s vow right now to dedicate at least one hour a month, or an extra hour, to serving the community.

Don’t bother with excuses about your work or class schedule, geographic location, socioeconomic background or whether you’re a Tucson native.

Wake up early. Go home late. Turn off the television and computer. Volunteer during lunch. Skip happy hour. Make time where you can.

But first, consider your skills.

“There is a misconception that someone can show up at a non-profit and be a volunteer,” said Ellen Hargis, president and CEO of the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona. “Volunteers need to be aware that if they want to get involved, they must find opportunities that fit their skills and interests.”

Could you serve as a nonprofit’s treasurer or organize a recycling program with your neighborhood association?

The Volunteer Center has an estimated 500 children waiting for mentors. The center also can point you to nearly 800 volunteer opportunities every day.

Mobile Meals of Tucson can’t take new clients and had to consolidate South Side routes because of a driver shortage, a summertime plight.

The group could use 30 people for office work and to drive meals to homebound adults.

The Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center is looking for a lawyer who specializes in civil or real estate law and a public relations expert to sit on its board or lend expertise.

South Tucson’s House of Neighborly Service has been trying for months to get a van donated for a program it will launch in August.

Still having a hard time figuring out where your loyalties lie? Consider this:

● Nearly 12 percent of Pima County families are below the poverty line.

● About 70 percent of county residents age 25 and above have less than a bachelor’s degree.

● In Tucson, 19 percent of adults are functionally illiterate, meaning they can’t do the necessary day-to-day reading, writing and speaking.

Pick a cause. You are desperately needed.

“Everybody has something they can share,” Hargis said. “Unless people are involved, problems don’t get solved and the community and the quality of life don’t improve.”

EDITORIAL: You – yes, you – need to be a leader

WHO WILL STEP UP?: Broader definition of leadership needed

This entry was posted on Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion. Tags for this post: Columnist/Guest, La Monica Everett-haynes, Opinion-Columnist/Guest, page-b01. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.