2005-09-10

Volunteering

"There is no exercise better for the heart than

reaching down and lifting people up."

Volunteering

Facts and Stats

*44 percent of adults in the United States volunteer with a formal organization. Of these, 63 percent volunteer on a regular basis --monthly or more.

*On average, American volunteers donate just over 24 hours per month.

*Collectively, volunteers contribute about 15.5 billion hours a year.

*Over three-quarters of volunteers belong to a religious organization (versus 58% of nonvolunteers).

*No differences are found in the number of hours spent volunteering based on age, gender, race, ethnicity or religious attendance.

*Slightly more women volunteer than men (46% compared to 42%)

*Of those asked to volunteer, 71% do so.

*About 84 million adults volunteer, representing the equivilant of over 9 million full-time employees at a value of $239billion.

Source: "Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 2001"

a report by the national coalition Independent Sector

A huge bouquet to all those volunteers who are giving of their time and support after the Hurricane Katrina disaster.