CLERMONT, Fla. – Otis Taylor, founder of the Give A Day Foundation, is this week's Getting Results Award winner.
Taylor started the nonprofit in 2011 when he saw a need in Lake County to connect people who wanted to donate their time with organizations who needed the manpower.
"I wanted to find something in the community to do, but I noticed when I went out there it was hard to find opportunities," Taylor said.
The Give A Day Foundation promotes volunteerism and civic involvement by connecting people with organizations who rely on volunteers to reach their goals.
When we met up with Taylor he and a group of high school students were working hard to prepare Downtown Clermont for the monthly First Friday Food Truck event.
The group was rushing around setting up barricades and clearing the roadway so vendors could find a spot to park.
"We don't have a lot of time," Taylor said as he directed the volunteers on where to place a traffic device. "The event will start soon."
The city gets a smooth running event and the students gain community hours they can use toward scholarship requirements.
Taylor was nominated by Carl Gordon. "He's special, people like that they're one in a million," Gordon continued. "He doesn't get the credit he deserves."
The street fair is just one example among many that volunteers can find by creating an account on the Give A Day Foundation website. A calendar of events is offered as a guide to the organizations in need.
The Give a Day Foundation places volunteers with organizations as varied as nursing homes, food banks and animal shelters.
"We call it the Give A Day Foundation, but you can give an hour or a week," Gordon said. "The important thing is offer your time."
Taylor said that since starting the charity six years ago, he's seen the benefits in his own life.
"I look at it as when I'm giving I'm putting seeds in the ground," he said. "And when you do that, when you plant a seed it comes back in many, many ways."