Monterey, CA Survey Says Of Those Over 50, More Than Half Do Volunteer Work and 39% Of These Help Seniors

View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

I was happy to read that a recent survey commissioned by the American Association for Retired Persons found that a considerable percentage of the U.S. population does volunteer work, and much of it is done for seniors.  In adults 18-49, 46% said they had done volunteer over the past year, 50% to help children, 25% to help the homeless or poor, 21% to help seniors, and 13% to help the chronically ill and disabled.  For those over 50 years old, 53% said they had done volunteer over the past year, 39% to help seniors, 30% to help children, 21% to help the homeless or poor, and 18% to help the chronically ill and disabled.  These are impressive numbers.  Some key findings include:

Volunteers spent a median of 10 hours per month helping others;

The volunteers reported a variety of reasons for giving their time in service to others.  One of the biggest was making a difference on a cause they care about;

Other motivations were feeling a personal responsibility to help others in need (69%), helping their neighborhood/community (67%), it makes life more satisfying (61%) and because the organization has a track record of doing good work (57%);

Those who did not volunteer cited not being asked to volunteer (41%) and being concerned about the time commitment (40%) as the biggest barriers.

Volunteer work can be very fulfilling and I encourage you to help a non-profit like Hands To Help Seniors or another cause that is near and dear to your heart.  Helping those in need can be very fulfilling and make your life, and the lives of those that you help, feel much richer.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.