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Report by OD bureau; Bhubaneswar: “Millions of volunteers are devoting their time working with youth through mentoring, tutoring or teaching in the U.S.”, said Ms. Diana Aviv, President and CEO of Independent Sector, a coalition of non-profit organizations. In a talk organized by the U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) on ‘Volunteerism in the U.S.’ on 24th August 2012, Ms. Diana said, more than a quarter of volunteers participated in fundraising activities or sold items to raise money for a charitable organization.
Praising the efforts in KIIT & KISS by Founder Dr. A. Samanta, she said all should learn from the exemplary work done here. Giving examples of US voluntarism she said some 63 million American adults volunteer each year. The time they put into serving their communities contributes significantly to the national economy. She also informed that the American international volunteer agency, the Peace Corps, founded by former President Kennedy, has placed 2 lakh volunteers in community development jobs in 134 host countries.
Comparing young and adult volunteers in U.S., she said, contrary to conventional wisdom, most of the people volunteer in mid-life and their number gradually declines approaching retirement. However, individuals who volunteer during early retirement do so with greater frequency than their mid-life counterparts. Among older adults the volunteer rate remained steady at 23.6%. This was 9.2 million adults dedicating 1.7 billion hours to community service.
Ms. Aviv is touring India as part of a speaker program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. She is the president and CEO of Independent Sector, the national leadership network for America’s nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs. By representing tens of thousands of organizations across the country, Independent Sector advances the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the charitable community.
She also explained how Americans who do not have the means to make large financial donations to charities find ways to donate their time and skills to those who need it. Ms. Aviv also took questions from students of KIIT & KISS.
Prof. P. P. Mathur, VC, KIIT University delivered the welcome address, while Dr. Sasmita Samanta, Registrar proposed vote of thanks.
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