Minnesota Profile - Volunteering in America

This year, Minnesota had the third highest rate of volunteerism in the nation, way to go!

Some facts about Minnesota volunteers:
* 1.5 million volunteers
* 37.5% of residents volunteer - ranking them 3rd among the 50 states and Washington, DC
* 171.1 million hours of service
* 42.1 hours per resident - ranking them 12th among the 50 states and Washington, DC
* $3.6 billion of service contributed

See the full report here.

Read the Star Tribune's article here.

AmeriCorps Minnesota - This I Believe

This is a video essay created for AmeriCorps week by AmeriCorps members across Minnesota. Watch and learn about all the exciting things happening across the state!

Dist. 518 now offering food program | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota

Worthington District 518 is again participating in the Summer Food Program. The program is open to all youths ages 1-18 who attend Worthington District 518 schools or other schools in the district.  Free meals will be provided at the following times and locations:

Breakfast, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at both the West Learning Center and Prairie Elementary; lunch, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Prairie Elementary, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the West Learning Center, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Watland Park (Douglas Avenue and Evelyn Street) and from noon to 1 p.m. at the new Worthington Area YMCA.

Adults may also eat for $2.

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Welcome to our new Summer Reads VISTAs!

Worthington District 518 recently received a grant to fund two additional VISTA positions in the Summer School program.  The Summer Reads VISTAs will work for eight weeks with kids in grades K-3rd on basic reading and literacy.  They will provide individual tutoring for a small group of students throughout the summer, as well as helping plan literacy enrichment activities with Summer School, the library, Even Start, and ABE child care.  The individual attention the VISTAs provide can be an enormous benefit to children struggling with reading.  We're so excited to see what a difference our new VISTAs will make!

Meet the new summer VISTAs here

Maki studies the science behind volunteerism | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota

The art of volunteering was practically a way of life for the post-World War II generation, many of whom took their civic and religious responsibilities seriously enough to devote a considerable amount of time and energy to them.

In today’s fast-paced, “24/7” world, however, there are some who feel that volunteers are a dying breed. And yet some, such as 2003 Cloquet High School graduate Alexander Maki, believe volunteerism is actually the wave of the future.
 
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