By MARY ENGLAND

Today, volunteers are more in demand than ever before. The latest value of a volunteer is $25.43 per hour. Volunteers are the backbone of society and a community. The 2018 Volunteering in America report found that 77.34 million adults (30.3%) volunteered through an organization last year. Who volunteers the most? Generation X (those born between 1965 to 1980) leads among generations in the United States. Generation X had a volunteer rate of 28.9%, followed by baby boomers at 25.7%.

Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health, and helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Volunteers receive many benefits such as: gaining confidence, making a difference, being a part of a community, learning new skills and having fun!

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos statistics state that, overall, 29.4% of residents volunteer, which is about 770,109 volunteers and 57 volunteer hours per capita providing 110.2 millions of hours of service. An interesting fact is that 58.2% of these residents donate $25 or more to charity. Another interesting fact is that 65.5% of residents engage in informal volunteering for example, doing favors for neighbors and helping people within their neighborhoods and community.

The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce is proud of our volunteer base. At our events throughout the year, whether it be an evening mixer or one of our large-scale community events, our volunteers show up and are ready to work. They are the key ingredient to our success. At any one time, we may have anywhere from 30 to 50 volunteers working and performing the tasks necessary to execute a flawless event.

Volunteers are the most important resource community organizations have. The ability of people working willingly together for the betterment of their community and themselves is a valuable resource. I suggest that when you attend any function within our community and you see one of our Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol folks working, or you are at the Flag Day Parade, or you are visiting the local library, or you are attending a community dinner or attending any other meaningful event within our city, stop and say “thank you” to those tireless volunteers. Your acknowledgement will mean the world to them and put a huge smile on their face and yours as well.

The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce recognizes and thanks our volunteers that work with us throughout the year. We are also grateful to the public and members of communities throughout the region, that assist us as we make a difference in the lives of many. We are honored to partner with our volunteers and the community and will soon launch our annual charitable projects.

We will again adopt 24 La Mesa homebound seniors and gather canned goods, toiletries and items for their holidays and support our annual La Mesa children’s military project, collecting toys and items for military families that live in La Mesa military housing.

To learn more about our upcoming holiday charitable projects contact us at 619-465-7700 or [email protected].

— Mary England is president of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce.