Nevada ranks low nationwide in volunteering

Almost dead last. That's where Nevada ranks in volunteering, according to a study for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Nationally, based on 2008-10 data, the volunteer rate was 26.3 percent, with 62.8 million volunteers donating approximately 8.1 billion hours of service.

Nevada saw 421,500 volunteers, or 20.9 percent of residents, giving 75.1 million hours of service, or 37.3 hours per resident.

In contrast, the highest state, Utah, came in with 884,000 volunteers, or 44.5 percent of residents, giving an average of 89.2 hours of service annually.

In Las Vegas, volunteers contributed 33.4 service hours per resident. Why are the numbers so low?

"My initial reaction is that our society, Las Vegas, is very focused on consumerism and making money," said Donovan Nichols, program coordinator at the Office of Civic Engagement and Diversity at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "I notice a lot of students are looking for jobs that pay well over service opportunities. It's part of the culture."

He went on to say that, when one looks deeper, "the lights of the big city tend to overshadow (volunteer efforts). ... there are some amazing things happening in our community."

Leslie Carmine, director of communications for Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, said the organization utilizes more than 5,400 regular volunteers throughout the year.

It enjoys a surge of as many as 300 volunteers for the restaurant-style dining events it holds a few times a year, such as at Thanksgiving.

But it's seeing a drop-off in programs where volunteers are required to be at certain locations, such as hospitals or schools, for its Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. With today's gas prices, the stipend does not fully cover the cost of traveling.

"There were probably good intentions (when they signed on)," she said. "But they're not able to keep that commitment."

As for Nevada's 50th ranking (the study also included the District of Columbia), Carmine suggested that the transient nature of the town, the day-sleeper schedules of casino workers, dropping day care and people taking on more than one job to make ends meet contributed to the low number. She said the effect of layoffs on remaining employees might also be a contributing factor.

"They started with one job, and now they're doing the work of three or four positions," she said. "They get off work and they're tired."

Perhaps volunteering in Nevada is low because so many are struggling just to get by. U.S. Census Bureau figures released in September show Nevada's poverty rate skyrocketed to 16.4 percent, almost double the 2000 rate, with the percentage of those without health insurance ranked third-worst in the nation.

Also a factor is Nevada's double-digit unemployment, the highest of all 50 states. In July 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor reported it at 14.9 percent. It now stands at 12.9.

Poverty levels notwithstanding, the study notes that high foreclosure rates, the number of homeowners versus renters and education levels also help determine whether residents have a long-term commitment to their communities.

Robin Kelley, community development director for United Way of Southern Nevada's Volunteer Center, said it has 13,000 volunteers registered. They go to the website uwsn.org to find volunteer opportunities.

"They can search for opportunities by calendar, by topic or by location, so it's easy to find something that's (a good fit)," she said.

United Way is an affiliate of the HandsOn Network. There can be as many as 8,000 different opportunities listed, Kelley said.

The data for the report was collected through a supplement to the Current Population Survey September Volunteer Supplement. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households (approximately 100,000 adults), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keeping track of volunteer hours is vital.

"That's one of our biggest mantras," Kelley said. "People need to understand: You're not bragging."

She said reporting volunteer hours directly affects whether a group gets a grant or whether they keep their nonprofit status.

"We need to make reporting hours sexy," she said.

Harriet Bernard, founder of Coats For Kids, doesn't care about sexy. She just wants to gather gently used winter coats for the needy. Collection boxes are in Albertsons stores until Oct. 31. She took issue with the survey's slap-in-the-face rating.

"We should not be at the bottom of any list as far as volunteerism is concerned," she said.

"The generosity of the citizens of Las Vegas is tremendous, and they always come through, even providing new coats with tags on them."

To view the report, visit volunteering inamerica.gov.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.