We are volunteers of America

The men and women sitting in a circle at the Friends’ Meeting Hall in Salem. The men and women sitting in a circle in the First Methodist Church in Eugene. They’ve come to listen to me share what I’ve learned about those who live their lives behind bars. They’ve come to talk about the morality of punishment and the promise of restorative justice. They’ve come to talk about whether and how people can change, about whether and how we can forgive.

I am so happy to get these invitations to speak, so happy to be part of these discussions that center on—but go so much farther than—the work I do at Oregon State Penitentiary, the book that came from that work, and the men who have taught me so much.

What makes me happiest is being in the presence of these people, many of whom have given and continue to give their time and energy as volunteers. Some have experience volunteering in jails and prison. Many volunteer at local food banks or for Meals on Wheels. Some volunteer in schools, in libraries. Many have long histories of involvement in social justice movements.

It feels good to be in their midst. It feels especially good to be surrounded (literally) by generous, open-hearted folks at a time when it is too easy to feel there are no generous, open-hearted folks. Too easy to buy into the narrative that we all distrust and hate each other. That we wish each other ill. That we are greedy and selfish.

We are not.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 25.3 percent of Americans volunteer, which is 62.8 million volunteers.

Who volunteers? The groups gathered in the circles at the two church events were mostly older people. That’s who goes to church these days. But volunteers tend to be exactly who you would think would have no time to volunteer: married women with children under the age of 18. Working women. According to the latest survey data, the largest age group for volunteers was 35-44. Women out-volunteered men 27.8 percent to 21.8 percent

That said, more than a quarter of people older than 55 are volunteers. So, while you are erasing the image of a country filled with people who hate each other, please also erase the damaging, insulting and erroneous image of older people doing nothing other than taking up space.
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Oh, and guess which mid-sized cities are in the top 20 in the U.S. for rates of volunteerism? Portland (38.4 percent) and Eugene (33.9 percent). Salem is not far behind, at #29 (29.9 percent).