Nebraska ranks sixth and Iowa ranks seventh in the nation when it comes to volunteering.
The Corporation for National and Community Service says one in four Americans nationwidevolunteered last year. In Nebraska, more than 468,000 people did so, contributing $1.3 billion worth of service.
Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, says their report found that working moms do much of the volunteering.
“37.7 percent of working mothers volunteer. Maybe pretty telling in that they’re pretty connected to their children, and schools, and other things, but that’s surprising. Seniors volunteer the longest period of time. They give on average about 92 hours per year.”
Many of Nebraska’s volunteers contributed service to educational, religious, and social service organizations. Omaha ranked 16th among 75 mid-size cities nationwide for volunteering. Iowa City ranked fifth, and Des Moines 15th.
Spencer says in addition to the community benefits, people who volunteer are 27 percent more likely to find a job after being out of work.
The report is available at www.volunteeringforamerica.gov.