14 Connecticut Mayors Will Spotlight National Service, Joining Colleagues Nationwide

Fourteen Connecticut municipal chief elected officials - 12 mayors and two first t selectmen -  will be joining colleagues from across the country on April 1 in spotlighting the impact of national service and thanking those who step up to provide voluntary service to their communities.  The nation’s mayors are increasingly turning to national service as a cost-effective strategy to address city challenges, officials say. By unleashing the power of citizens through AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, the two lead national service programs, participating individuals have a positive and lasting impact – making our communities better places to live.

The second-annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service will include Bridgeport’s Bill Finch, Fairfield’s Mike Tetreau, Hartford’s Pedro Segarra, Middletown’s Dan Drew, New London’s Daryl Finizio, and West Haven’s Ed O’Brien.  Also signing on as participants in the day of recognition are Deb Hinchey of Norwich, Mark Boughton of Danbury, Hamden’s Scott Jackson, Manchester’s Leo Diana, New Haven’s Toni Harp, North Haven’s Michael Freda, Stamford’s David Martin and  Windham’s Ernie Eldridge.

On April 1, mayors will hold public events and use traditional and social media to highlight the value and impact of national service to the nation’s cities.

Officials report that more than 3,700 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and increase civic engagement through national service in Connecticut. Serving at more than 600 locations throughout the state, these citizens tutor and mentor children, support veterans and military families, provide health services, restore the environment, respond to disasters, increase economic opportunity, and recruit and manage volunteers.

This year, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will commit more than $9,390,000 to support Connecticut communities through national service initiatives. Through a unique public-private partnership, this federal investment will leverage an additional $2,720,000 in other resources to strengthen community impact, build local support, and increase return on taxpayer dollars.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. CNCS annually engages more than five million Americans in service to meet local needs through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and national days of service; improves communities through the Social Innovation Fund, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative.

Last year, 832 Mayors representing nearly 100 million citizens participated in the inaugural Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. The initiative is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service; Cities of Service; the National League of Cities; and Mesa, AZ, Mayor Scott Smith, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Volunteering in Connecticut Above Average, But Declining

The percentage of Connecticut residents who volunteer has dropped slightly, but the state remains above the national average, ranking 22^nd among the states.  The data, compiled by The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is the most comprehensive annual collection of information on volunteering and civic life in America, reflecting nation’s civic health. The National Conference on Citizenship is a partner on the project. The 2012 Volunteering and Civic Life in America report and website provide information allowing civic leaders, nonprofit organizations,and interested individuals to retrieve a wide range of information regardingdemographic trends and rankings for volunteering and civic engagement activities intheir regions, states, and metro areas.  The 2012 report is based upon data collected in 2011.  Overall, in Connecticut:

• 28.5% of residents volunteer, ranking the state 22nd among the 50 states and Washington, DC.  That’s a drop from 31.1% and a #15 ranking the previous year
• 793,710 volunteers.
• 81.7 million hours of service.
• $1.8 billion of service contributed.
• 29.3 volunteer hours per resident.

The report also noted that 72.8% of Connecticut residents do favors for their neighbors, 88.8% eat dinner with their family a few times a week or more, and 53.3% discuss politics a few times a month or more.  In a generational breakdown,

• Young adult volunteer rate ranked #16 (26.3%)
• College age ranked #24 (27.8%)
• Older adults ranked #14 (29%)
• Gen X ranked #23 (32%)

Among major cities, Hartford ranked #27 (just behind Boston at #26) in 2011, down from #15 in 2010.  (From 29.8% to 26.9%.)  The top three cities were Minneapolis-St.Paul, Rochester (NY), and Seattle.  The national volunteer rate was 26.8 percent.  Top states were Utah (40.9%), Idaho (38.8%) and Iowa (38.4%)  At the bottom were New York (20.7% ) and Louisiana (19.4%).

Nationwide, the number of volunteers reached its highest level in five years, as 64.3 million Americans  volunteered through an organization, an increase of 1.5 million from 2010.  Americans volunteered a total of almost 8 billion hours, an estimated economic value of roughly $171 billion.  A majority of Americans assisted their neighbors in some way and more than a third actively participated in a civic, religious, or school group.

The report also found that parents of school-aged children contributed more than 2.5 billion hours of their time to volunteer efforts nationwide in 2011, most of it to school-based projects, underscoring the pivotal role that schools play as hubs for local volunteer efforts.