While senior volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to build houses and feed the homeless, it turns out they are doing much more. A majority of older volunteers put their money where their time is by helping to boost the coffers of the organizations where they volunteer, according to research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care® network. The Salute to Senior Service program will recognize the outstanding contributions of older adults and honor those who go the extra mile for their communities in so many ways.

In a survey released in July 2009 by the Corporation for National and Community Service, one of every three organizations reported increasing its reliance on volunteers to cope with the economic downturn between September 2008 and March 2009.

The survey revealed that 80 percent of responding organizations experienced some level of fiscal stress between September 2008 and March 2009. Nearly 40 percent of those organizations said the stress was severe or very severe.

The most recent data from the Corporation for National and Community Service indicates that one of four Americans 55 and older – that’s 18.7 million people – makes a positive impact on their local communities through volunteering. Between 2008 and 2010, these adults contributed more than 3 billion hours of service per year in their communities. The economic benefit of their service to communities totaled more than $64 billion.

We invite our readers to share the ways that older adults are making their marks on the Boston community.

Home Instead CAREGivers in the Boston area are available to help your senior loved ones continue to pursue their passions by providing non-medical assistance at home – call us for more information call 617.557.4600.

Home Care Boston providing elderly services in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. Call us at 617.557.4600.