Community service up in US for 2005 | 06.12.2006 | 09:29:06 | Views: 5375 | ID: June 12 '06: A new report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal program which includes the AmericCorps and Senior Corps agencies, has found that volunteer participation in the United States is experiencing a "renaissance of civil engagement," the Associated Press reported Monday. The report "tracked volunteer efforts for all 50 states and the District of Columbia," the AP wrote. Additionally, the report "said that more than 65.4 million Americans performed service of some kind in 2005 alone, compared to 59.8 million in 2002." Officials in CNCS told the AP they suspect "the increase to a call for American service by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and to a sense of duty stirred along the Gulf Coast by hurricane destruction in recent years." Among those states which ranked the highest, Utah secured the number one spot with about 48 percent of the state's population giving time to volunteer. Other states which followed included Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Alaska, respectively. "The survey tracked the volunteer rates of participating individuals, their ages, hours served, gender, race and ethnicity. It also looked at where people volunteered and what types of activities they performed. Data were collected by CNCS through various sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Census Bureau," the AP reported. The CNCS will hold a conference June 18 - 20 in Seattle, Washington called "Climbing Mountains, Lifting Lives," which will focus on improvements in community outreach, combatting poverty and helping "volunteers strive to be more helpful and relevant through their service."
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