Are You Called to Serve?- National report implies many Rhode Islanders aren’t. - In it’s recently released “Volunteering in America 2008” report, the Corporation for National and Community Service ranks Rhode Island 41st in the nation for its overall volunteer rate and 46th in the nation for overall volunteer hours. On the surface, those numbers make it sound like Rhode Islanders don’t care. Clearly, though, that’s not the case. As Rhode Island’s authorities on volunteering, the Rhode Island Service Alliance and the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island know how many dedicated volunteers are out there each day giving time to their communities. Now we’re turning to you to help prove us right! Through our “Call to Service Assessment 2008,” we hope to paint a better picture of who’s answering the call to care in their community. To do so, we’re asking that you complete our short, online survey and tell us how you volunteer, and why. Take the survey now or get a printed copy for distribution by calling Nat Connors of the Service Alliance at (401) 331-2298 ext. 11. You are the voice of volunteerism in Rhode Island, so speak up. Your participation in this survey is vitally important, and incredibly easy. We ask for only 5 minutes of your time to answer some basic questions about your volunteer experience. We know Rhode Islanders are out there volunteering, and the numbers prove it. In fact, the corporation estimates that between 2005 and 2007, Rhode Island had approximately 210,000 volunteers dedicating 23.8 million hours of service per year. The estimated economic contribution of those volunteer hours served is $465 million annually. Other promising facts: - Rhode Island ranks 4th in the nation for its college student volunteer rate. Let’s not let a 41st ranking put us in bad light! Complete our survey and help us better reflect just how much Rhode Islanders care. By completing this survey, you’ll help us gain a more accurate understanding of the state of volunteering in Rhode Island. What compels you to serve your community, or what keeps you from doing so? We want to know! - ### - 
 
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