935,000 OLDER NEW YORKERS PROVIDE 495 MILLION HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE ANNUALLY
In recognition of National Volunteer Week, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) celebrated older volunteers and the incredible value they bring to our state. Every year, National Volunteer Week provides an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time and talent to help others in their community.
Older volunteers provide critical services for our communities. Volunteerism has tremendous benefits for volunteers, as well. Active volunteering promotes healthy aging by decreasing social isolation and the likelihood of depression; lowering the rate of chronic illnesses; and increasing life expectancy.
“Older adults make up the majority of volunteerism in New York State,” said NYSOFA Acting Director Greg Olsen. “They are the backbone of our communities, and their social, economic, intellectual, and civic contributions are essential to making New York a better place to live, work, and grow older.”
In New York State, approximately 935,000 adults over the age of 55 provide more than 495 million hours of service at an economic value of almost $13.9 billion annually.
Older volunteer DATA by New York State county, as well as PHOTOS of New York State’s older volunteers, past and present, are available on the New York State Office for the Aging’s Flickr page.
Volunteering for just a few hours each month can make a big difference in people’s lives. There are thousands of local organizations and civic groups looking for volunteers each week. Please visit the Corporation for National and Community Service to search for opportunities in your area.
About the New York State Office for the Aging
The mission of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is to help older New Yorkers be as independent as possible for as long as possible through advocacy, development and delivery of person-centered, consumer-oriented, and cost-effective policies, programs, and services that support and empower older adults and their families, in partnership with the network of public and private organizations that serve them. Stay connected to the New York State Office for the Aging—download the NYSOFA mobile app for iOS or Android; visit the NYSOFA Facebook page; follow @NYSAGING on Twitter; or visit www.aging.ny.gov.
