Volunteering in America is on the Rise

This week, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) released the 2018 Volunteering in America report to highlight the impact volunteers are making on the nation. And we are happy to report, that impact is growing.

The report, which is compiled by the CNCS Research and Evaluation team using data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, found that 77.34 million adults (30.3 percent) volunteered through an organization last year. Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value, based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour for 2017.

We also revealed the top states and and cities for volunteering, which could explain some of the cheering you may have heard earlier this week from Utah (the top state) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (the top large city) when the rankings were released.

We are big fans of civic pride. You can discover the top-ranking states and large cities on the Volunteering in America website.

Volunteers' contributions to society are greater than those that can be measured empirically — they are also a unifying force for our country.  

“The fabric of our nation is strengthened by the service of its volunteers," said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "When we stand side-by-side to help others, our differences fade away and we learn that Americans have more in common than we realize.”

That sounds like something worth remembering as we prepare to journey over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving. And, hopefully, it can inspire us to join our families, friends, and neighbors as volunteers in the weeks and months ahead.

In service, 

Mike Cys 

Director, Office of External Affairs

P.S. Our CEO Barbara Stewart discussed the importance of volunteers in a blog on Medium earlier this week. Take a few moments to check it out.

Editor's note: By clicking the links below, you may be connecting to websites created by parties other than the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The CNCS Office of External Affairs provides links to these stories because they contain information that may be useful or interesting to the national service and volunteering community. These links are for reference only, and CNCS does not endorse the individuals or organizations associated with these links, and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided by websites outside of our control.

The Impact of National Service

National Service Salutes and Remembers Our Veterans

Friends of the National World War II Memorial paid tribute to the more than 16 million men and women who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II at a special Veterans Day event at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. World War II veteran Ewing H. Miller (pictured above right) delivered the ceremony’s keynote address. Miller served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945 as a B-24 heavy bomber pilot assigned to the 15th Air Force, 719 Squadron (The Flying Horsemen), which flew from a base in Italy. Nicknamed “Wing” by his fellow flyers, Miller flew more than 20 missions during the war. In February 1945, Miller’s plane was downed by a direct flack burst in the bomb bay, and he was the sole survivor. He spent the rest of the war as a POW.

Read more and watch video

Love A Michigan Vet Packs Gifts for Soldiers Overseas Ahead of Holiday Season (AmeriCorps) Christmas might be weeks away, but Santa has already started sending gifts to troops serving overseas for the holidays. Santa being Nadine Jones — that is. Jones, of Dearborn Heights, is well-known in the Metro Detroit area for being a strong advocate for veterans and active military. She founded the "Love A Michigan Vet" project and became a champion of change when she saw the unmet needs of local veterans. Jones served two years with AmeriCorps, which engages adults in public service with the goal of helping others and meeting the urgent needs of communities. Read more

Volunteer Connection: RSVP projects benefit clients, taxpayers (Senior Corps) The United States Congress recently passed and President Trump signed an FY19 spending bill that increases funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) which directs AmeriCorps and Senior Corps projects. RSVP, along with Foster Grandparents and Senior Companion, are Senior Corps sister agencies. The bill received bi-partisan support from prominent United States lawmakers. Consider the potential taxpayer savings generated by RSVP volunteers in Racine by three projects in the CNCS “Healthy Futures — Aging in Place” category: Meals on Wheels, Senior Companion Program Inc., and the Volunteer Center’s MyRIDE program. These projects are all designed to help seniors maintain independent living. Approximately 95 out of 240 RSVP volunteers serve 490 clients collectively across these three projects at an average individual volunteer cost of $400, for a total outlay at the project level of $40,000. Read more

FEMA Corps Workers Help Bay County Residents Sign Up After Hurricane Michael (AmeriCorps) Brianna Lentz spent Saturday morning knocking on doors in Lynn Haven to make sure residents registered with FEMA. Lentz is 19 and part of FEMA Corps, a year-long AmeriCorps service program for young adults who help in disaster areas. Lentz and other FEMA Corps workers went through streets in the ravaged eastern Bay County town this weekend to tell people how FEMA can help, sign them up on iPads if they haven’t already registered and explain the next steps when locals mentioned they were initially denied. FEMA Corps has been on the ground in Bay County for two and a half weeks to help after Hurricane Michael, and also spend time at mobile registration centers when they’re not canvassing neighborhoods.  Read more

Share It: Volunteering in America Increasing

Each week, we provide a social media shareable to use on your networks. This week, CNCS released the 2018 Volunteering in America report to highlight the trends in volunteering across the United States. There's a lot of info in the report, including the top 10 states and large cities with the highest volunteering rates. To see if your state or city made the list visit the Volunteering in America website. Help us spread the word about this new report by sharing this image with friends and followers on your social media networks.

National Service in the News

Volunteering in U.S. Hits Record High; Worth $167 Billion (CNCS)

National Service Newsroom

More Americans than ever are volunteering, according to a new federal study released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. The 2018 Volunteering in America report found that 77.34 million adults (30.3 percent) volunteered through an organization last year. Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value, based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour for 2017. Millions more are supporting friends and family (43.1 percent) and doing favors for their neighbors (51.4 percent), suggesting that many are engaged in acts of “informal volunteering.”

Read more

Growth in Volunteering is Good News for America (CNCS)

Medium.com

(The following is a blog by CNCS CEO Barbara L. Stewart.) The fabric of our nation is strengthened by the service of its volunteers. We see this over and over again whenever ordinary Americans step up to support their fellow citizens for needs both great and small. This idea stands out in the latest results from our Volunteering in America study — a report that examines how Americans of all ages are serving together to keep our nation strong. We are excited to announce that the nation’s volunteer rate has jumped six points to break through the 30 percent-level as Americans are volunteering at higher rates than ever. However, that is only part of the story.

Read more

ABCs and TLC: Grandma Lois and Grandpa Bob Dispense Love, Skills to Elementary School Students (Senior Corps)

Echo Press, Minnesota

Voyager Elementary School has something many other public schools do not: a grandpa and a grandma. Most days, Grandma Lois Peterson and Grandpa Bob Foss can be found in the hallways working with school children. They help with numbers and reading comprehension and hand out friendly comments. "Hi, Grandma Lois," a cross-legged girl sings out as Peterson pushes her walker through the hall. "Hi, are you working hard on something?" Peterson inquires. "Reading," the girl says, in a tone that implies balls and chains. Their titles, Grandpa and Grandma, are always capitalized, as they are official titles given by the Central Minnesota Foster Grandparent Program, a federal program administered in Minnesota by Catholic Charities in St. Cloud.

Read more

Homeless Shelter to Help People Coming in for 'White Flag' Events to Find Resources (AmeriCorps)

The Messenger-Enquirer, Kentucky

Tuesday was Daviess County's first "White Flag" event of the season, with an overnight wind chill of 15 degrees making it dangerous for the region's homeless population to stay outside. White Flags events were established by the Homeless Council of the Ohio Valley and Daviess County Emergency Management as a way to get homeless people into shelters on particularly cold winter days. This year, the Homeless Council has added additional bus services to help transport people to shelter during "White Flag" nights. Harry Pedigo, director of St. Benedict's Homeless Shelter, said the shelter has staff on hand to help people coming in find permanent housing or services they need to get out of homelessness. A case manager will be working at the shelter with an AmeriCorps worker for people coming into the shelter for White Flag events, Pedigo said.

Read more

Southwest Georgia Volunteers Recognize Veterans Day as a Day of Service (Senior Corps) 

Albany Herald, Georgia

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program ramp-builders had a Veterans Day build on Monday. They constructed a ramp at the home of 82-year-old Jeff Crawford in Albany. Crawford is a veteran of the Vietnam War who served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. The RSVP ramp-building program, which the SOWEGA Council on Aging said donated 616 community service hours to other southwest Georgia veterans in the 2017-18 fiscal year, is a partnership between Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and the Council on Aging. Many of the volunteers are veterans themselves. The oldest volunteer on site was 91.

Read more

Two Coast Districts Have a New Way to Battle Mississippi’s Teacher Shortage (AmeriCorps)

The Sun Herald, Mississippi

Mississippi is battling a teacher shortage, as fewer and fewer people apply for certification and school districts struggle to fill vacancies. But a new program aims to help get people from different backgrounds into classrooms. It provides a more affordable path for earning teacher certification and an undergraduate degree. Four districts across the state — Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Jackson and Sunflower County — are participating in the new Mississippi Teacher Residency Program. It’s funded by a $4.1 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The goal is to narrow gaps in high-poverty, high-minority schools as well as schools that lack a diverse teaching staff, according to the Mississippi Department of Education. The teaching candidates will be members of AmeriCorps, a national service organization whose goals include increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, and fighting poverty.

Read more

Green Group Offers Free Energy Audits, Weatherization (AmeriCorps)

The Quad-City Times, Iowa

A nonprofit environmental organization has set up shop in Davenport to provide free energy audits and low-cost winterization work in the homes of people who are low-income, elderly, disabled, or veterans. Residents of Scott, Clinton, Muscatine, and Cedar counties are eligible, and one does not need to own the home to have the work done. Called the Green Iowa AmeriCorps, the four-member group opened its office in September within Community Action of Eastern Iowa, 53rd and Brady streets, Jasleen Dhillon, outreach coordinator, said. The group is coordinated by the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy and Environmental Education, headquartered at Cedar Falls.

Read more

Soup From a Stone for All to Enjoy (AmeriCorps)

The Republican Journal, Maine

Take one part stone, another part water, mix together with greens and a rubber chicken, and serve. Kindergarten and first-grade students at Capt. Albert Stevens School took part in a Thanksgiving story presentation recently, using vegetables harvested from the CASS and Troy Howard Middle School gardens and culminating in a soup "feast" for everyone. The event is based on the old folk story, "Stone Soup," in which a hungry stranger convinces reluctant townspeople to each share a small amount of their food to make a meal that everyone can enjoy. Once the soup is done, villagers are amazed at how delicious it is, and also learn the value of sharing along the way. "I love the Stone Soup story," FoodCorps AmeriCorps partner Malia Demers said. "Everyone contributes one thing and it's all about sharing. Plus all the exposure and excitement about food and vegetables." 

Read more

SAIL Program Helps Seniors Stay Fit, Active (Senior Corps)

Spring Grove Herald, Minnesota

A new exercise program for those 55 and older is helping seniors become active and keep being active. The Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) is offered through Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota. Through grant funding and volunteers, the program and provided equipment is free for those who attend. Active Aging Programs Administrator Sue Degallier said the program has had an overwhelming response in rural communities. “We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response, which has helped and fueled us to offer this program in more areas,” she said. “It’s partly the physical aspect that gets people going, and it’s also the social element that it offers them on a regular basis, specifically if it’s someone living alone.” Volunteers through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) lead the class.

Read more 

Ali Mediate is Helping Maine Families Start Gardens (AmeriCorps)

Portland Press Herald, Maine

Ali Mediate is the founder of Maine Foodscapes, a group of entrepreneurs and volunteers aiming to educate on local foods while enabling Mainers to start growing on their own. Her first event was a community nose-to-tail butchering workshop in February 2017 and this year, she lead the way in a campaign to help low- income families in 14 towns across York and Cumberland counties install raised beds and become backyard farmers (with ongoing mentorship). We called the FoodCorps and AmeriCorps veteran up to talk about how their gardens grew, what inspired her and how she plans to scale the whole project up next year.

Read more

Youth Builders Set Busy Slate For 2018-19 Year (Senior Corps)

The Greenville Sun, Tennessee

Youth Builders of Greeneville held its first meeting of the year on Sept. 26 and discussed its slate of events for the upcoming year. President Genevieve Fernandez called the meeting to order in Cumberland Presbyterian Church and welcomed everyone, and Leslie Vaughan offered the opening prayer. Rush Bakshi, president-elect, announced the guest speaker for the meeting was Rhonda Humbert with First Tennessee Human Resource Agency. She discussed the Foster Grandparent program. She answered several questions about how volunteers work in the community.

Read more

Retiring Jacksonville Nonprofit Veteran Built Mission from Church Basement to Ministry Model (CNCS)

The Florida Times-Union, Florida

In 2002, nonprofit veteran Dave Tuttle was offered a dream job. His church, First Presbyterian in downtown Jacksonville, asked him to build a mission program. When he inquired about the criteria, there were none. “Whatever you want ...,” he said. “That was like a gift.” Having departed Lutheran Social Services — the refugee services agency lost its refugee flow for a time after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — he was looking for a sign to help decide his future direction. The mission program offer, he said, “was a sign.” Now 74, Tuttle retires at years-end after building Presbyterian Social Ministries from a fledgling outreach in a church basement into a thriving nonprofit that has had to relocate twice after outgrowing its quarters.

Read more

News You Can Use

AmeriCorps NCCC Application Deadline Approaching Nov. 18

If you or someone you know is interested in joining AmeriCorps NCCC, we have some good news. The application deadline has been extended for Winter 2019 positions that start in February.  AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, residential, team-based program for young adults, age 18-24. Members develop leadership skills and strengthen communities by completing service projects and gaining life experience. Winter 2019 member slots are available in both NCCC Traditional Corps and FEMA Corps classes.

Learn more

Brandeis University Offers Scholarships to AmeriCorps Alumni for Graduate Conflict Resolution Program 

The Brandeis University Heller School for Social Policy and Management is offering guaranteed scholarships for its Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence program (COEX) to returning National Service volunteers such as Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and City Year volunteers, and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans. The COEX program offers a practical, skills-based curriculum that prepares students to become responsible peacebuilding practitioners in conflict areas around the world. The program is built around three key pillars: understanding the problems of conflict, developing the process for coexistence intervention, and supporting people and communities through conflict resolution skills.

Learn more