by Kendra Evensen, Idaho State Journal
Idaho and two local cities are getting some national recognition. The state was recently ranked second in the U.S. for the number of Idahoans who volunteer their time, and Pocatello and Idaho Falls were singled out in another analysis naming the 100 best places for young families to live. More than 421,000 Idahoans Ñ over 36 percent of the stateÕs residents Ñ volunteered last year, giving 62.3 million hours of service valued at $1.4 billion, according to Volunteering and Civic Life in America research that was recently released by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship. Only Utah ranked higher than Idaho, with 44.6 percent of residents volunteering. Matthew Hunter, president and CEO of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce wasnÕt surprised that Idaho ranked so high. ÒOne of the great things about living in this community is that there are always people willing to help with whatever project is being worked on,Ó he said. ÒIt has been a great experience for my family as they have learned from the example and now enjoy being involved in the community.Ó Pocatello City Councilman Craig Cooper agrees. ÒThere are a lot of great volunteers in the community who stand up and make sure things get done,Ó he said. In a news release recently issued by Serve Idaho, a division of the Idaho Department of Labor, Renee Bade, Serve Idaho program manager, said volunteering is a key component of civic life in the state and it enriches not only the communities, but those who serve. And the benefits wonÕt stop there. The Corporation for National and Community Service is planning to give more than $5.4 million to support Idaho communities through national service initiatives, according to the news release. ~1@BODYURL[id=114jbcurl1228]@