The Optimist and the “Ask”: Get involved—every day a day of service

This past Monday, January 21, 2008, was one of the coldest days this winter in the area. For many people, the routine was the same as any other Monday, perhaps beginning with a trip to the gym, followed by a stop at the coffee shop on the way to work. Across the country and around the region, however, many others did break from their routines, participating instead in volunteer community service activities at locations they otherwise would probably never visit. The occasion was the 13th annual King Day of Service.

In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act to commemorate the life of slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., and designate the King Holiday as a national day of service. As the official website for the holiday states, “(t)he King Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve social problems.” Those projects fall into three areas—they are meant to:

From the perspective of the individual who volunteers for a couple of hours or a day, the contribution may be small. It is anything but insignificant, however. The impact—when combined with the volunteer efforts of all of the others on King Day—or any other day—is quite large. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that 60.8 million people—just over one-quarter of the civilian population (age 16 and older)—volunteered nationwide at least once between September 2006 and September 2007. BLS also reports that the median hours volunteered annually was 52—more than 2 full days—or six-and-a-half 8-hour workdays. A total of over 8 billion hours are volunteered annually. In addition to these “formal” volunteers, over 5 million people were engaged less formally (but no less importantly) in neighborhood activities to improve their communities. The Independent Sector, a leadership forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs, estimates that an hour of volunteer time was worth $18.77 in 2006. You do the math. According to their 2001 analysis, the total dollar value of volunteer time was $239 billion. By any measure, the results are impressive, if not astounding.

These and other reports are filled with an extensive array of statistics relating to the state of volunteerism—for example, rankings by state and metro area, volunteer rates by gender, age, race, type of volunteer organization and type of volunteer activity (jumble sale, anyone?) Did you know that married persons volunteer at higher rates than those who’ve never been married? Or that the volunteer rate rises with educational attainment?

What all of the statistics tell us is that volunteerism—volunteering—is important each and every day. While a day dedicated to voluntary service is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Dr. King—and Philadelphians led the nation in volunteer activity this past Monday—Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, every hour of every day, was dedicated to service in the name of making this nation and the world a better place. There is no reason, either, that any of us should confine our volunteer service activities to a single day. Indeed, as the statistics show, a significant proportion of us already turn up to volunteer on several days each year.

Many social scientists have examined the unique characteristics and paradox of volunteerism in the United States —that is, coming together for the purpose of achieving common good in a nation that champions the individual. For whatever reasons, the trait is deep-seated here. The Minutemen of the American Revolution volunteered to be vigilant and ready to fight on a moment’s notice. Not long after, in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin organized the first public volunteer fire company. A short time later—over 175 years ago—de Tocqueville, in his magnum opus, Democracy in America, commented on the unique ethic of volunteerism that he observed during his travels around this nation. At the start of the Civil War, immediately after the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteer troops to serve for 90 days. From voluntary military service to voluntary assistance to the needy to voluntary service across communities last Monday, the trait is firmly rooted and at the heart of this nation’s character.

Something else that each of the statistical analyses of volunteerism reveals is that more people volunteer when asked to do so. The BLS reports that almost 45 percent of volunteers became involved after being asked, while the Independent Sector puts the conversion rate at 71 percent. In both cases, the “ask” appears to be the catalyst that precedes action and involvement.

 

So…Consider this the “ask”: Are you involved? Do you volunteer? On a regular basis? If not, why not? It’s easy to find ways to get involved and organizations that want you and need you. A brief list follows at the end of this essay.

 

One last item: If you are a skeptic or still don’t believe that your part matters, recall the story of The Star Thrower, originally told by the poet and anthropologist, Loren Eiseley. The story has become a classic with many variations. Eiseley was born in Nebraska and grew up there, before heading east. He received his graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and spent most of his career at Penn, first as Provost and later as Benjamin Franklin Professor of Anthropology and the History of Science. Whether you read the original in all its depth or one of the many simpler variations does not matter. Eiseley’s tale is one of humanity and making a difference—one person at a time.

So go ahead and volunteer. It is good for you. And for the world.

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

-Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy; January 20, 1961

Where to find out about volunteering:

The following list is extensive, by no means exhaustive and not in any particular order. It should, however, provide something for everyone.

-- Rich Stein, Director of Research