Metro area ranks 17th in volunteering

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Monday, July 9, 2007

Denver residents volunteer more than 71 million hours a year, making the city one of the nation's most civic-minded metro areas.

Denver had an annual average of 560,000 volunteers who contributed $1.3 billion worth of service every year from 2004 to 2006, pushing the city to No. 17 out of the top 50 largest metro areas, according to Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings.

The report, released today by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, lists city volunteer rates ranging from a high of 41 percent in Minneapolis-St.Paul to a low of 14 percent in Las Vegas. Denver had a volunteer rate of nearly 32 percent, compared with the national average of 28 percent.

The reason: people like retired physical therapist Margot Thompson. The master gardener teaches skiing and golf to the disabled, helps out at the Denver Botanic Gardens and works with Butterfly Hope, a program at Cheltenham Elementary that helps kids learn about the environment through science, art and gardening.

"I very selfishly do the things I really enjoy," Thompson said.

About one-third of Denver's volunteers worked with education or youth service nonprofits, while 30 percent volunteered with religious groups. Popular activities included fundraising, giving out food and tutoring.

Surburbanites out-volunteered urban dwellers, 36 percent to 23 percent, and women outpaced men, 35 percent to 29 percent. About 39 percent of Denver boomers ages 45 to 54 volunteer, compared with the national average of 32 percent.

One-fourth of metro Denver high school and college-age residents volunteer - about the same percentage as folks over 65.

"It makes me happy," said Thompson, 72. "I don't know what would replace volunteering. I'm not sure that anything could."

Lend a hand locally

• To find volunteer opportunities in Denver, go to metrovolunteers.org or call 303-282-1234.

Profiles of three metro-area volunteers

Carol Walkup

• Age: 70

• Occupation: Retired school teacher

• Volunteer work: Walkup has taught sewing for nine years to residents of the Denver Rescue Mission's Champa House, which offers help toward self-sufficiency to single moms and their kids.

"A lot of these gals haven't even been introduced to a sewing machine, and when they start out, they're kind of frightened. One gal said, 'I just want somebody to show me how to sew on a button.' It's great to see them get so much confidence in themselves, that they can really do it. My friend, Sharon Bates, goes with me. We go in on Monday at 1, for two hours. The girls say, 'Can't you stay longer? Can't we do this more often?'

"It's just such a blessing, seeing the girls blossom, their self-esteem increasing, getting back on their feet. Just watching the children - they come out and greet us. We're the sewing ladies. That's what they call us."

• For more info about volunteering, go to denverrescuemission.com.

Lauren Crawford

• Age: 22

• Occupation: Recent college grad, future nonprofit event planner

• Volunteer work: Crawford has volunteered for four years at Ronald McDonald House, which serves families with a seriously ill or injured child undergoing treatment at a Denver area hospital.

"My favorite thing to do there is to give tours of the house. I love talking about the house, showing new families the amenities and helping them get settled. It's so amazing to see the look on their faces when one part of this challenge in their life is easy.

"I contribute a lot of who I am to my volunteer work. I lead a busy life, and it has allowed me to come and sit, relax and think about someone other than myself for a few hours. It has taught me to be humble and to give to other people. Volunteering has been such a huge part of my life that I can't see myself without it."

• For more info about volunteering, go to ronaldhouse.org.

Carl Wells

• Age: 73

• Occupation: Retired insurance agent

• Volunteer work: Wells has been a naturalist at Bluff Lake Nature Center for eight years.

"I had been a birdwatcher for 20 years, and I was looking as I got into retirement for some kind of activity to round out that natural experience.

"One day a week, I take a class for a three-hour training session around Bluff Lake. Our target groups are schools within a 5-mile radius of Bluff Lake with a poverty element.

"I really get the satisfaction of exposing kids to an environment that they might not otherwise have any appreciation for. I really like the first- and second-graders - they're out there looking in every hole, every nest, every tree.

"I'll do it as long as I'm healthy. Right now, I feel I could go on forever."

• For more info about volunteering, go to blufflakenaturecenter.org.

National volunteerism

The top 20 cities:

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul

2. Salt Lake City

3. Austin, Texas

4. Omaha

5. Seattle

6. Portland, Ore.

7. Kansas City, Mo.

8. Milwaukee

9. Charlotte, N.C.

10. Tulsa, Okla.

11. Cincinnati

12. Columbus, Ohio

13. Pittsburgh

14. Bridgeport, Conn.

15. Washington, D.C.

16. Louisville, Ky.

17. Denver

18. St. Louis

19. Nashville, Tenn.

20. Dallas tied with Oklahoma City

Source: Corporation for National and Community Service

ryckmanl@RockyMountainNews.com