FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

By Elaine Albert

More than one quarter of the population of the United States does some kind of volunteer work each year. That number has increased dramatically since 1989 with teen-agers leading the way (with a 90% increase) followed by people over 65 (with a 17% increase). While most volunteers, including KOREH L.A. volunteers, give of their time in order to help others, many studies have shown that there is a direct connection between volunteering and general good health and long life. The newest of these studies, “The Health Benefits of Volunteering” (Office of Research and Policy Development of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), 2007) concludes that volunteering provides individual benefits in addition to social benefits. In fact, those who volunteer “…have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.” (CNCS, 2007) Surprisingly, the bottom line is that volunteering leads to better health.

As the Baby Boomers mature, it is projected that the numbers of volunteers age 65 and older should increase 50% over the next 13 years. This is particularly relevant in light of the fact that the CNCS report also found that older volunteers are most likely to receive physical and mental health benefits from their volunteer activities. “Older individuals who volunteer demonstrate greater health benefits than do younger volunteers, due in part to the fact that volunteer activities by older individuals are more likely to provide them with a purposeful social role.” Volunteering for seniors results in greater life satisfaction and better mental and physical health. It is also interesting to note that the CNCS study further concludes that “individuals must meet a ‘volunteering threshold’ in order to receive the positive health outcomes from volunteering; that is, they need to commit a considerable amount of time – or at least one or two hours a week – to volunteer activities.”

KOREH L.A. was formed to help address the problem of illiteracy in our city. However, it is very nice to know that while helping to solve this urgent community problem, our volunteers are actually benefiting themselves as well.