It feels like we’ve been writing a lot about volunteerism and charitable deeds lately, but at least we now know why that is. As many of you likely already knew, Fountain Hills is home to a rather large quantity of volunteers. In fact, outside of Phoenix (you know, that pretty big city off to the west?) we’ve got the largest roster of volunteers compared to anywhere else in the Valley.

That little detail comes to us care of Town Manager Grady Miller, who recently put the number of Fountain Hills volunteers at around 800. That’s a very sizable figure for a town the size of Fountain Hills; or any town, for that matter.

Miller shared this impressive statistic during the recent volunteer reception, an annual event where the town says thanks to all of those men, women and children from the community who have donated their time, energy and resources to helping out those in need, pitching in at a local event, or making it a little easier for nearby charities to do their important work.

At the event, many individuals were presented with awards to serve as recognition for their volunteer efforts, including the 2017 Volunteer of the Year, Carol Ayres. We’d like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to all of those who were honored at the special community event, as well as the 800-plus who continue to work behind the scenes to make Fountain Hills volunteerism such a success.

There’s no estimating how many lives have been positively impacted by the work of these people who offer their support in various ways around Fountain Hills, and the community is an infinitely brighter place for all of their tireless efforts.