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Need a volunteer?
Try the Midwest
The spirit of volunteerism is thriving in the
heartland, but not so much on the coasts. Midwesterners
are more likely to volunteer their time than are
people elsewhere in the United States, according
to a government study. The highest rates were
in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan
area, where more than four in 10 adults volunteered.
"It's really about Minneapolis' commitment
to the quality of life," said Michael Weber,
president and chief executive of Volunteers of
America of Minnesota. The Corporation for National
and Community Service, a federal agency, used
Census Bureau data to determine the share of people
age 16 and older who had volunteered their time
in the previous year. The study provides three-year
averages, for 2004 through 2006, for the 50 largest
metropolitan areas.
Minneapolis-St. Paul was followed at the top
by Salt Lake City, Utah; Austin, Texas; Omaha,
Nebraska; and Seattle, Washington.
Las Vegas, Nevada, had the lowest volunteer rate,
14.4 percent. It was joined at the bottom by Miami,
Florida; New York City; Virginia Beach, Virginia.;
and Riverside, California.
Nationally, 26.7 percent of adults in 2006 said
they had volunteered in the previous year. That
compares with 28.8 percent in 2005 and 20.4 percent
in 1989.
The study said several demographic and social
factors appear to contribute to higher volunteer
rates:
- Short commutes to work, which provide more
time to volunteer.
- Home ownership, which promotes attachment
to the community.
- High education levels, which increase civic
involvement.
- High concentrations of nonprofit organizations
providing opportunities to volunteer.
The Associated Press.
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