Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412060055
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Streamlining of corporate America means fewer management types can take time from their work day to serve on fund-raising committees for the local United Way or drive a lunchtime route for the League of Older Americans' Meals on Wheels. With people working longer hours, fewer have time or energy to devote to a favorite charity at night or on weekends. As more women hold down full-time jobs outside the home, a major pool of volunteers has almost dried up.
Regrettably, this shortage occurs at a time of increased dependence on volunteers. Many agencies are attempting to absorb funding cuts by relying more on unpaid helpers to deliver services. The outlook now is for less taxpayer-financed social services.
Fortunately, there are positive trends too. The ranks of retirees, a natural resource, are growing. Even more significant, America has seen an upsurge of voluntarism among young people. Teen-agers and members of the so-called Generation X - in numbers far greater than most would guess - are active and interested in serving their communities, giving time to work with the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the illiterate.
Meantime, high-school graduation requirements for community service have mushroomed. And courts are increasingly ordering community service as an alternative to incarceration. This can be difficult for service groups. It takes planning, coordination; but that's true of voluntary service as well.
The good news is that it's habit-forming. Studies show that those who volunteer as teens are likelier to do so as adults, and that virtually all who experience the satisfaction of benefiting their communities and helping those less fortunate than themselves will probably keep it up.
With volunteers in short supply, many young people are teaching their elders a lesson in the rewards of service: Try it, you'll like it.
by CNB