Strong volunteers make a strong neighborhood
I read a disturbing story in my hometown paper the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday morning. According to a report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, Chicago ranked only 37th among 50 large cities in the percentage of adult residents who volunteer their time to serve worthwhile causes.
According to the corporation, Chicago has an average annual volunteer rate of 25.6 percent, with 1.8 million volunteers serving just more than 186 million hours each year.
That sounds like a lot. But it’s not, considering that the national volunteer rate is 26.2 percent.
Now, my home city did rank higher than Miami, which ranked 50th out of the 50 major U.S. cities included in the corporation’s poll. Miami only had a volunteerism rate of 14.5 percent.
But certainly Chicagoans can do better. We’re a major city filled with talented and dedicated individuals. We should be topping the volunteer rankings, not lagging in the bottom half.
Just look at all the volunteer opportunities in residential real estate alone. Is there a home in your neighborhood that needs a new paint job, maybe one owned by a senior citizen who can’t afford to hire painters? Why not organize a clean-up day for the house and put together your own crew of volunteer house painters?
Maybe there’s an empty lot in your neighborhood filled with debris. Worried that it’s bringing down property values? Then do something about it. Organize a volunteer cleanup crew.
And don’t forget, there’s always Habitat for Humanity.The fine people who run this charitable organization are always looking for volunteers to help build new housing for the needy.
Of course, all this doesn’t apply only to Chicago. There are volunteer opportunities in every city, town or unincorporated area in the country. And remember, anything you can do to improve your neighborhood – whether on a volunteer basis or not – will only help the value of your own home.
