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Find out how Tulsa ranks in percentage of residents who volunteer.
No doubt you saw the numerous vehicles, the police barricades and “the bus.” Maybe you heard the hammers and heavy machinery. It’s even possible you caught a glimpse of the spiky goodness that is Ty Pennington’s hair. No matter how your senses were touched by the recent weeklong stay of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” at East 11th Street and South Harvard Avenue near The University of Tulsa (go TU!), what shined brightest of all (and no offense to the snow and ice we received that week) was the magnitude of community support for the Starkweather family, the record-breaking Make-A-Wish Foundation fund-raiser and other promotional and civic tie-ins showing that Tulsa’s got it goin’ on when it comes to volunteerism.
Recently earning my Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) credentials and as chair of the 2010 Community Volunteer Council, I have studied in-depth the scope and logistics of volunteerism, particularly at the local level. In almost all evaluation categories, Tulsa is at or above national averages. Specifically, using 2005-2008 data from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) utilized the skills and talents of 228,500 volunteers, giving an average of 37.8 hours of service (and 26.7 million hours annually), culminating in almost $541 million of service impact.
Tulsa ranks 27th out of 75 mid-size cities in percentage of residents who volunteer (32.4 percent) and 36th in service hours per resident (37.8 percent). Religious, educational and social services organizations are the top three areas for which people volunteer, and fund raising, general labor and tutoring/teaching are the top three volunteer activities.
New research also finds that volunteering can make you healthier, especially in older adults; all age groups are volunteering at a higher rate than in past decades; and active volunteers watch less television per day and spend more time on child care than former or non-volunteers.
Tulsa citizens prove daily that they are willing and eager to tackle society’s toughest problems, and they desire to make a positive difference. At the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in 2009, we utilized 178 volunteer event ushers, who gave 4712.52 hours of service and assisted 268 events, more than 34,000 patrons and 54 organizations, all while providing more than $95,000 in economic impact. I am truly a proud papa … (Scott needs a moment) … OK, I’m better now.
So I bet you’re asking yourself, “I want to help! I want to get involved — now what?” Well, given that there are roughly 4,500 501(c)(3) organizations of all kinds in the Tulsa area alone, there is bound to be something near and dear to your heart. What are you passionate about? What motivates you? Where do you see gaps in service that you can fill? You can find a myriad of volunteer opportunities at www.MyVolunteerPage.com, www.VolunteerMatch.com or my personal recommendation, www.1-800-Volunteer.org (go Volunteer Central of Greater Tulsa). Creating a personal account on any of these sites will give you the added benefit of getting third-party verification for your service. So go get “Red Dirt Ready,” “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” and make a difference.
Photo: Toen and Ethan Starkweather were featured on the cover of the April 2008 issue of TulsaPeople Magazine. The Starkweathers were the recent recipients of a remodeled home as part of ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition."
Gaffen is the house manager for the Tulsa Performing Arts Center and a member of Tulsa’s Young Professionals. He currently serves on TYPros’ Government Relations Crew and recently joined the Next Generation Leadership Crew and the Colleges and Universities Crew.
He is also an associate of Volunteer Central of Greater Tulsa, a certified volunteer administrator (CVA) since 2009, the 2010 chair of the Community Volunteer Council and casting director and marketing director for Tulsa’s own Next Monkey Horror Films.
To read more about Gaffen and his committment to the arts in Tulsa, click here.
