Senior, baby boomer volunteering hits high

Senior and baby boomer volunteering has reached a 30-year high in the United States, as more people pitch in to help their communities, according to a study recently released by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The new research concluded that the volunteer rate for Americans ages 65 years and above has increased 64 percent since 1974.

Far from being a "me generation," baby boomers are volunteering at higher rates than did the previous generation at mid-life.

"Americans help their nation, their communities and themselves when they mentor at-risk youth, care for seniors, respond to disasters and meet a wide range of other critical needs," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation, which is spearheading a national effort to engage an additional 10 million volunteers by 2010. "This study points to a onceinageneration opportunity to get more Americans engaged in making their communities stronger."

The new report found that the growth in volunteering is driven primarily by three age groups: teenagers 16 to 19, baby boomers and others age 45 to 65, and older adults 65 and above. The research analyzed volunteering rates in 1974, 1989 and 2002-2005, using information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"We are encouraged that emerging studies consistently show increased volunteering by young Americans." said Robert T. Grimm, Jr., director of research and policy development at the Corporation. "At the same time, boomers' high engagement in service today has the potential to foster a volunteer explosion among older Americans in the years to come."

Educational and youth service organizations such as schools, 4H, and Boy and Girl Scouts, are benefiting from the growth because they have received the largest increase in volunteers between 1989 and 2006. Nearly 24.6 percent of all adult volunteers serve through such organizations, a 63 percent increase since 1989.

The biggest percentage of volunteers serves through religious organizations, although the proportion of Americans contributing time to those groups has decreased slightly, from 37.4 percent to 35.5 percent, since 1989.

Noting that volunteering actually declined between 1974 and 1989 before rebounding, Grimm cited several reasons for heightened civic engagement today, including two that directly relate to volunteerism by seniors and boomers:

Mid-life adults are more likely to have children in the home because Americans are delaying marriage and childbearing. The result is increased exposure to volunteering opportunities connected to their children's school and extracurricular activities.

Older Americans are living longer, are better educated and more financially secure, creating an increased desire for them to remain active and seek ways to give back to communities.

"America needs more volunteers to mentor and tutor at-risk youth, care for seniors, respond to disasters and meet a wide range of other critical needs," said Eisner. "We are committed to working with volunteer and servicedriven organizations everywhere to expand the number of Americans who volunteer by 15 percent over the next five years."

For more information visit www.nationalservice.gov.

This story is provided by State Point Media.