Gov. Gregoire lauds Washington�s leadership in volunteering

For Immediate Release: July 8, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire hailed news that 1.75 million adults in Washington volunteered between 2008 and 2009 � putting the state 10th in the nation. �Volunteering in America 2010,� the most comprehensive data ever assembled on volunteer trends and demographics, reports that Washingtonians contributed a total of 219.5 million hours of service valued at $4.6 billion annually.

�This is a testament to the commitment of volunteers in Washington,� Gregoire said. �It demonstrates how citizens can unite through volunteer service to tackle our communities� toughest challenges. I extend my sincere appreciation to everyone who volunteered and encourage all our residents to continue to make Washington a service leader.�

The report includes a volunteer data profile for Washington and shows how residents responded to the recession with a vigorous commitment to service. It shows the largest increase in volunteering across the nation since 2003, with 63.4 million Americans (age 16 and older) volunteering in 2009, an increase of almost 1.6 million since 2008.

Seattle was ranked 4th among the country�s 51 largest cities, with an average of 34.9% of residents volunteering each year.

Washington has been awarded $13.5 million from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The federal funding will support more than 1,200 AmeriCorps service positions that serve in hundreds of nonprofits and local government entities across the state. This is the largest competitive AmeriCorps grant in the organization�s 16-year history.

The governor commended the Washington Commission for National and Community Service for its leadership in promoting service as a strategy to engage volunteers and AmeriCorps members in addressing critical needs across the state.

Organizations awarded funding are:

• Department of Employment Security � Washington Service Corps: $6.2 million




• Department of Employment Security � Washington Reading Corps: $3.4 million




• Educational Service District #101: $723,588




• Kitsap Community Resources: $630,110




• EarthCorps: $286,000




• Solid Ground: $441,998




• Department of Ecology � Washington Conservation Corps: $1.9 million

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that each year engages more than 5 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.

�Volunteering in America 2010� is based on data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics through a volunteering supplement to the Current Population Survey from 2002 to 2008. Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work through or for an organization. The report includes information for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 198 cities, including 51 large cities, 75 mid-size cities, and 72 additional cities, based on metropolitan statistical areas. For more information, visit www.volunteeringinamerica.gov.