We focus especially on volunteering to help others during the holiday season, when we become more sharply aware of our blessings and the needs of those who are less fortunate. Knowing how much this nation of givers likes to help will warm your heart.
As the nation’s largest grant maker for service and volunteering, the Corporation for National and Community Service is vitally interested in tracking the impact of volunteerism in the U.S. Federal agency CNCS’s grants are specifically designed to provide volunteers for nonprofit organizations all over the country. Volunteers are recruited by receiving for their time a modest stipend, credit towards their student loans, and the opportunity to learn new skills.
Our communities are immeasurably strengthened by this agency’s help.
You know these nonprofits, as we have many like them in Savannah, working hard year-round to help the poor, the sick, frail seniors, at-risk youth and others struggling in our communities with few places to turn for help.
Now celebrating their twentieth birthday of service to America, CNCS has just released a report with the latest figures on our nation’s commitment to volunteering. Despite our recent financial challenges, we are still a nation that makes time to help others. An impressive one out of four Americans volunteered in 2012, committing almost 7.9 billion hours of volunteer time. Independent Sector values this volunteer service at $175 billion.
CNCS’s existence has been repeatedly challenged by those in Congress who may not have these figures at hand or understand what $175 billion in volunteer hours provides for the nation’s needy. Despite these challenges, CNCS has been a real success story on the power of volunteering, on many fronts.
In Georgia, in FY 2012-13 CNCS committed around $18,820,000 to support our communities through its volunteer initiatives. This amount was further leveraged by various public-private partnerships to bring an additional $4,150,000 in other resources to strengthen nonprofits in Georgia.
The student loan forgiveness program through CNCS, the Segel AmeriCorps Education Award, has provided $42,720,000 in loan forgiveness for its volunteers in Georgia. Given the deep concern in our nation about strapping young adults with crippling student loan debt incurred to complete their education, this is a very significant benefit for our young adults.
One of our own local nonprofits, Step Up Savannah, has received several VISTA volunteers from CNCS. They are working in responsible positions to help with Step Up’s work on eradicating poverty from Savannah. Their time contribution stretches the work Step Up can do and the people Step Up can reach.
Of course, CNCS provides only a small percentage of the volunteers who give their time to Chatham County nonprofits. The rest is done by those who find a project or group that interests them and simply call to volunteer their help. To all those in our community who volunteer, thank you for believing each one of us can make a difference and for supporting the work of our dedicated local nonprofits. You show us the best of the holiday spirit of helping others.
If you don’t volunteer for a local cause yet, be it a short-term project event or a few hours a week for general help, call any nonprofit in town that works to impact a cause of interest to you. They rarely turn away the spirit to help.
Sarah Todd is the founder of Change Pioneers, an information resource on leadership for social change. She can be reached at 912-224-2120 or changepioneers@gmail.com.