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Dates: Tuesday, November 18th OR Thursday, Nov 20th
Location: La Mesa Police Department, 8085 University Ave, La Mesa, CA 91942
Parking: There is a large lot right in front of the police station.
Accessible: Yes!
Walking: Sitting for a presentation and then walking around to tour the police station. Not too much walking!
Website: https://www.cityoflamesa.gov/191/RSVP
volunteering to build america
volunteering to build america
Volunteerism has long been an American value. In 1736, Benjamin Franklin established the first American volunteer fire house, a legacy that lives on today. Even now, almost 70% of the firefighters in America are a volunteer force. Even the American revolutionaries were initially composed of volunteer militias, giving their time to drill and fight for their fledgling nation. In the 19th century, as the class disparity widened, more charitable organizations formed across the country, devoting time, money, and resources to improving the lives of fellow Americans. Prompted in large part by a religious revival and an increased attention to the poor, organizations like the American Red Cross and YMCA formed in the mid-1800s.
During the Civil War, ladies across the Union formed Ladies Aid Societies, as branches of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. The ladies gave their time to make bandages and quilts to aid wounded soldiers.
However, like many volunteers, the ladies were not sure their organization efforts would be worthwhile. The ladies of Picture Rock, Pennsylvania wrote to the Secretary of the Sanitary Commission to say:
“ I am happy to inform you that, at length, after two or three failures from stormy weather, we have a ‘ Soldiers' Aid Society’ at Picture Rocks. There seems quite a general desire to engage in so noble a work, although, with a few, I have found a feeling of distrust as to the good the ‘Sanitary' is doing, and the necessity of its work. More light is needed on the subject. I do not expect that our contributions will be anyways large, for, with few exceptions, our people number their wealth by hundreds instead of thousands. But we can be one of the little rills that, drop by drop, make the vast ocean.”
By the 1900s, volunteerism as a mainstream idea really began to pick up steam. The Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs were all established in the early 1900s. The Rotary Club began in Chicago, established by a lawyer and his compatriots in 1905, as they sought to rekindle the spirit of giving and friendliness they had known in their hometowns. In less than 20 years, there would be Rotary Clubs established on 6 continents! In 1915, Detroit businessmen banded together to begin what would become the Kiwanis (named for an American Indian expression, "Nunc Kee-wanis," which means, "We trade"). Eventually, the Kiwanis clubs turned their focus to the children of the world, seeking to help children thrive in more than 80 countries of the world. In 1917, yet another Chicagoan founded the Lions Club to unite business clubs together and seek to give back. In 1925, Hellen Keller addressed the by then international organization and challenged them to become “knights for the blind in the crusade against darkness”, leading to almost a century of vision related charitable work.
volunteering to build peace
volunteering to build peace
The idea of volunteerism in America continued to grow, even in the lean times of the Great Depression. Relying on neighbors for help, others giving freely of their time, Americans survived lean times and gave back when they prospered. The idea of volunteerism as a core American value found an especially established home during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. As a candidate, Kennedy visited the University of Michigan campus and gave an impromptu speech, outlining his desire that Americans ply their skills in the service of the world for a small bit of time, in order to advance global peace.
You can hear his late night remarks here:
As Kennedy exhorted Americans to “ask not what America can do for you”, he established the organization to advance peace and freedom throughout the world, relying on the volunteer spirit of Americans to sacrifice their time and skills for the greater good.
You can click here to watch an overview of the Peace Corps and its impact over the last 50 years.
Of course, the number of volunteer organizations and groups has only continued to grow, as Americans remember their ability to give back to others with their time, money, and skills.
We continue to find new and innovative ways to volunteer as well. While there is always a need for hands-on work, preparing and delivering meals, washing clothes, and organizing food pantries. But increasingly, people are finding ways to volunteer online. Through sites like https://www.volunteermatch.org/, people can find a cause or organization that is meaningful to them and give their time and resources. Additionally, microvolunteering is a growing trend, as people perform small tasks online to help a cause or advance a volunteer campaign.
volunteerism today
volunteerism today
So how are we doing today? Americans continue to give back their time to their communities, serving others.
According to recent volunteer statistics (found here: https://bloomerang.com/blog/volunteer-statistics/ ):
Approximately 23.2% of Americans formally volunteered with organizations between September 2020 and 2021. This works out to just about 11 million people volunteering every day!
About ⅓ of the nonprofit workforce is volunteer.
Most volunteer work is informal; 14.3% of the global population informally volunteered in 2022 while 6.5% volunteered with a formal organization or association.
The current value of an hour of volunteer time is $31.80.
Women volunteer at higher rates than men.
85% of volunteers donate to the nonprofits they volunteer for.
Our visit this week reveals yet another opportunity to make our time count in the service of others and another way to positively affect our community. Volunteering is clearly an American value that we can all honor and spread with the greatest of joy!
Our speaker, Jennifer, has graciously provided us with some “food for thought” articles to check out! First up, the benefits of volunteering:
Next up, you can check out the San Diego County Grand Jury Report on the RSVP programs from 2023/2024:
Can’t wait to see you all this week! It’s going to be fun!
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