The act of giving is an instinctive characteristic within all of us. Whether it is the random donation to a school fundraiser or volunteering with a community organization, each of us has that inner voice within the core of our being urging us to help others – some voices are silent whispers, and some are loud screams. Either way, they encourage us to be as generous as we can.

Next to the Fourth of July, the Christmas holiday is my favorite time of year. It is a time for gratefulness, reflection, hope – and most importantly – for giving. We take the time to show gratitude for our faith and for our families. We reflect on the days passed behind us, praying the days ahead will be equally as fulfilling. We hope for the future, setting goals for the new year. We should also spend time giving.

Giving is simply defined as helping another through kindness and compassion without any expectation of something in return. Selfless giving often goes hand in hand with happiness – both being deeply connected and intertwined. We must all recognize the importance of giving – especially in relation to our community. Lending a helping hand – in any capacity – during tough times can decrease the magnitude of someone’s hardships. It could truly save someone’s life. Not all of us are fortunate enough to live a life without difficulties.

The act of giving leads me to the incredible employees at the Citrus County Property Appraiser’s Office. We try extremely hard to cultivate a work environment which connects our employees with our community – specifically through giving. We want to make our communities – both inside and outside our office - a better place.  This year, our employees donated countless hours of their time volunteering in our community and continually provided active financial donations to a plethora of those individuals who are less fortunate. In the last twelve months, our employees spent time reading to elementary school students in our Citrus County schools. We donated needed items to local churches, the Citrus County Education Foundation, homeless shelters, and abuse shelters. We sent care packages to active-duty military members. And we purchased gifts for several Christmas Angels from the Family Resource Center.

We also are “giving” in our business relations.

The Citrus County Property Appraiser’s office is a service driven organization thriving on putting the property owners needs first.  We go a step further to achieve kindness and compassion to satisfy the needs of our property owners. We want our customers to feel valued. We display loyalty and trust to the community. We do what we can to make our customers’ lives better – through giving.

I challenge you this Christmas season to spend some time giving – either financially or non-financially – I promise you the rewards will far outweigh the costs. Happiness comes from what we give, not from what we get.

The employees of the Citrus County Property Appraiser’s office come from all different backgrounds, most of which were a public service background. It is truly where our giving mindset comes from.  It's comforting to know that we all started somewhere completely different and somehow all ended up in this office together at this moment in time. We have members of our staff that previously worked in a hospital, served in the military, grocery chain or drug stores, other government offices, first responders, cleaning services, DJ, homemakers, and the list goes on and on. Every one of us gained something from our previous careers or life choices that made us the public servants that we are today.

 One thing that I know is if you need anything from our office we are here for you.  It is our pledge to you in the coming year that we will continue to try our hardest to take care of you and your specific situation.  It’s what we do.  It’s the givers in us all.

From the Staff of the Citrus County Property Appraiser's office, we hope you have a blessed holiday season and a very Happy New Year!