Crapo, Risch Recognize Idaho Ranking 5th in Nation for Volunteer Service

Washington - A new study from the Corporation for Community and National Service concludes that Idaho ranks fifth in the nation for volunteer service.  In Idaho, this translates to 382,200 individual volunteers and 53.42 million hours of volunteer service with an estimated value of service of $1.1 billion.  The fifth place ranking puts Idaho behind Utah, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, respectively.

The annual Volunteering and Civic Life in America report concluded that one in four Americans volunteered through a formal organization and that more than 138 million American citizens, an impressive 62.5 percent, also volunteered informally within their communities.  This translated to nearly 7.8 billion hours of service with an estimated value of $184 billion.  The estimates of the value of volunteer service is based on the Independent Sector's estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour.

"This report confirms what I and many others have known all our lives: Idahoans are generous and value strong, supportive relationships that improve and strengthen our communities," said Crapo.  "This week, my staff and I honored many volunteers who serve the Idaho veterans community through the Spirit of Freedom awards, recognizing those who continue to answer the call to service and support our veterans across Idaho.  Our neighborhood volunteers should take great pride that our state is leading in the area of service to others."

"All Idahoans should be proud of their hard work that earned this recognition. I am deeply thankful to those across our state who have given back to our communities and set a fine example for our nation to follow" said Risch.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve.  Additional information on the report can be found on the Corporation's website.

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