People volunteer even in bad times

CCHASM volunteer Susan Meredith fills a grocery bag from the food pantry at Chester Baptist Church. Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer As the holiday season wraps up, county residents have defied a national trend by donating their time for those who need it most. Some nonprofits throughout Chesterfield report that despite the current economy, the number of persons volunteering is actually increasing.

This goes against a UCLA study, indicating volunteering is down nationally due to the economy.

For the Chesterfield Colonial Heights Alliance for Social Ministry, the biggest issue is resources, said CEO Sharon Juozapavicius, but when it comes to gathering volunteers, resources abound. CCHASM rallied more than 200 volunteers in November to hand out 1,500 Thanksgiving meal packages to families in need.

“There’s never a lack of people that want to volunteer,” said Juozapavicius. “Our problem is space.”

CCHASM runs most of its aid programs out of a small building in Chester, and often doesn’t have the space to accommodate more helping hands.

For other organizations, such as Communities in Schools in Chesterfield and Chesterfield Court Appointed

Special Advocates, space isn’t an issue, and they’re just happy to have the extra volunteers.

CASA volunteers undergo 36 hours of training to advocate for abused, neglected and abandoned children in the court system. Then, they donate between 10 and 15 hours monthly.

“It’s such a commitment,” said Ruth Anne Cutridge, executive director of Chesterfield CASA. “We’re excited to see folks continuing to volunteer.”

CASA’s volunteer numbers are up this year without the organization taking any special recruiting measures. There are now more than 70 advocates.

But all nonprofits are not so lucky. According to a study by Dr. Jennie E. Brand at UCLA, national and historical trends show a correlation between soaring unemployment rates and decreasing civic engagement.

Brand’s study showed that during and after periods of extended, high unemployment or uncertain financial times, people who were forced to practice increased personal frugality developed a more pessimistic outlook on life, and that affects more than just their mood.

“The contest between pessimism and optimism has a very real effect on the way we live,” wrote Doyle McManus, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, about Brand’s research. “Pessimists don’t stimulate the economy by buying new houses or big-ticket consumer goods. Pessimists don’t invest in the stock market. Pessimists don’t participate in community-building organizations.”

Both U.S. and Chesterfield County unemployment rates were high this year. In November the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 6.8 percent unemployment rate for Chesterfield County and 9.8 percent nationwide.

Contrary to Brand’s study, Cutridge believes the economy is actually prompting more people to volunteer in the county.

“This economy causes people to sit back and evaluate their priorities,” she said. “[Volunteering] is a way to make a tangible impact.”

At the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia, several recent college graduates donated their time while they searched for a job.

“We’ve had some exceptionally qualified college grads volunteering,” said Liess van der Linden-Brusse, CHSV president. “They couldn’t get jobs, and rather than sit at home or flip hamburgers, they give their time to the Chesterfield Historical Society because they’re learning.”

Whether it’s in spite of, or because of the economy, nonprofit organizers in Chesterfield are grateful for the increased number of volunteers, especially in tough times, but they could still use more. At the historical society, even with the increased numbers, the need for volunteers is severe.

“The previous generations understood a requirement to volunteer as part of growing up,” said Linden-Brusse. “Now people are not used to volunteering. Part of the problem is that our culture is so transient. People move. It used to be my mama, my papa and my grandparents did their stint at the historical society, too.

“We are desperate for volunteers...We have only one criteria: as long as you can breathe. If you’re capable of breathing, we need you.”