Stafford County announced on May 4 that its volunteers contributed more than 42,000 hours of service last year, saving the county over $1.7 million in full-time staff costs.
The county highlighted the important role volunteers play in providing services to residents and supporting government operations without increasing taxpayer expenses. Volunteers help at locations such as the George L. Gordon, Jr., Government Center and the courthouse, as well as with road assistance and other tasks.
“Our volunteers perform everything from greeting and giving directions to folks to providing specialized knowledge to one of our many boards, committees and commissions,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Deuntay Diggs. “Volunteers expand capacity, deepen community ties and make it possible to provide more services – at no additional cost to taxpayers.”
According to Stafford County officials, last year’s group of 185 volunteers served a combined total of 42,441 hours. This resulted in savings estimated at $1,754,510.94 based on a volunteer rate set by the state’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Volunteers staffed reception desks, answered phones, provided ombudsman services at government offices, supported data entry for traffic and transportation services for the Sheriff’s Office, and offered clerical support for courts.
The Customer Service Office manages volunteer engagement by organizing special events and publishing a monthly newsletter for participants. New volunteers are encouraged to join by contacting (540) 658-4518 or visiting www.staffordcountyva.gov for details.
In related education statistics reported by the Virginia Department of Education, Stafford County Public Schools District enrolled 31,700 students during the 2023-24 school year—a figure that is up by 1.7% from the previous year’s total enrollment of 31,160 students according to the same source. Brooke Point High School had the highest enrollment among Stafford’s schools with 2,242 students during this period according to state data.
White students represented the largest ethnic group in Stafford County schools during this time frame with a total enrollment of 12,332 students or about 38.9% overall; Hispanic students were next largest at approximately one quarter according to state education figures. For early childhood education specifically, Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers enrolled more pre-kindergarteners than any other school in Stafford (292 children), while Rocky Run Elementary School had most kindergarteners enrolled (148 children) as reported by official sources.
