Volunteering Rate Jumps in Georgia, Atlanta Area Also Sees Increase

Washington, D.C. – Volunteers in Georgia demonstrated their commitment to improving their communities in a variety of ways last year, as the volunteer rate jumped 4 percent in the state, according to the Volunteering and Civic Life in America (VCLA) report released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Almost two million Georgia volunteers served almost 294 million hours, which is valued at $5.9 billion.

“Involved citizens do so much to make our communities stronger,” Gov. Nathan Deal said. “Georgians take pride in helping their neighbors and dedicating their time to address critical issues. Our residents are committed to strengthening our state and our nation through service. Sandra and I inaugurated the 'With a Servant's Heart' annual day of service, and its success reflects Georgians' dedication to giving back."

In the Atlanta metropolitan area, the volunteer rate increased by 4.3 percent. The average number of volunteer hours per resident grew to 40.8, an increase of 11.3 hours from the previous year.

"I am pleased to see more citizens participating in volunteer activities that make a difference in our neighborhoods and in the lives of others," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said. “Atlanta is a caring city, and neighbors helping neighbors is our way of life. Thank you to those who are already making a difference, and I invite even more to join us in service.”

The VCLA report, which is issued by CNCS in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship, shows the national volunteer rate reaching its highest level since 2006. More than 64 million Americans – more than one in four adults – volunteered approximately 8 billion hours, valued at $171 billion. In addition, two out of three Americans nationally (65.1% or almost 144 million citizens) engaged in informal volunteering by doing favors for and helping out their neighbors, an increase of 9.5 percentage points from last year.

“Volunteering and civic engagement unite us behind common goals,” said Eric J. Tanenblatt, a Georgia resident who serves as vice chair of the board of directors of CNCS, which administers AmeriCorps and Senior Corps and leads the federal effort on volunteering. “We have a prime example of the importance of people working together in the Northeast, where volunteers have really stepped up to support recovery and relief efforts from Hurricane Sandy. We have seen similar efforts here in the Southeast after disasters. People working together and talking to each other help solve problems and make their communities better places to live and work.”

The complete report may be accessed at VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.

Volunteers can contribute as little or as much as their time allows—their ideas and talents are important to strengthening our communities and the nation. To learn how you can volunteer in your community, visit Serve.gov.

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