A real estate agent will give the gift of volunteerism all year-round in 2008.

Brian Madeiros, President of Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty announced in December that his company would be enhancing its corporate giving policy and volunteering initiatives this year.

Already a corporate member of The Centre of Philanthropy, the company will grant employees two hours a month to volunteer somewhere in the community.

Mr. Madeiros said: "For many of us, giving is a focus during the holiday season, but when New Year starts self-improvement becomes a priority.

"We wanted to ensure that the giving spirit we were energised with during Christmas continued. The board of directors agreed to start 2008 with a grant of two hours of company time per employee per month for volunteerism.

"To facilitate this endeavour our corporate membership with The Centre on Philanthropy provides us with access to innovative and interactive volunteer tools, including the Bermuda Volunteer Centre Team Tracker."

The Centre of Philanthropy launched the Bermuda Volunteer Centre (BVC) in 2006 as an online system to help volunteers and nonprofits to connect.

Persons interested in helping can search for available positions listed on the system by local charities.

Mr. Madeiros said: "Coldwell Banker will actively use the BVC to identify volunteer roles for our staff. Additionally the team tracker component enables us to consistently monitor and track how many hours our company is giving back to Bermuda.

"It can even cultivate a friendly inter-departmental competition to further spur their excitement and energy.

"It's a win-win — our staff will have the opportunity to be more involved in the community and the company will see the many benefits that result from having an active and engaged team."