A new national study confirmed that the Twin Cities residents volunteer more of their time to their churches, charities and school than folks in any other metro area in the nation.
More than 900,000 Twin Cities residents, in the city and suburb, volunteered an average of 44 hours a year in 2009, according to the annual report by the federal agency overseeing national service programs. The rest of the state of Minnesota isn't lacking either. More than 1.5 million people volunteered in 2009, the third-highest ranking in the nation.
I think that Minnesota has a couple of things that push it to the top of these rankings. First, we have our "Minnesota nice" personalities. Regardless of the rude person you came across on your way to work today, generally the opinion across the nation of Minnesota people is that we're nice and care about one another and second, we have a strong nonprofit sector funnels volunteer energy.
For years, Minnesotans have ranked near the top nationally on volunteerism, voting and other forms of civic engagement." In fact, the Twin Cities area has topped this same survey for the past four years. The latest study showed that statewide, 1.5 million people volunteered their time, to the tune of 171 million hours last year.
The report showed that 37 percent of Twin Cities residents and those outstate volunteered in 2009. That civic spirit crossed all age groups, from seniors to 20-somethings. Baby boomers were particularly energetic: 40 percent reported volunteering in their communities.
Nationally, volunteerism is on the rise, said the report. More than 63 million Americans over the age of 16 volunteered at least once in 2009, an increase of 1.6 million. This could be because of the high unemployment, people are trying to fill their time while they're looking for work and want to try and help while they have the time.
The increase was fueled by higher volunteer rates among women, especially those age 45 to 54, as well as Americans who were working.
Minnesotans donate their time for many causes, but the top four are projects involving food for the disadvantaged, fundraising, teaching and "general labor," the report said. Roughly a third do their volunteer work at religious organizations and/or schools.
To see the full report, Volunteering in America, go to http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/.
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