School volunteers contribute 142,000 hours

During the 2009-10 school year the Volunteer Program of the Cedar Rapids School District added more than 8,000 dedicated part time staff members

who shared their time and skills without pay.

Begun in 1973, the Volunteer Program has grown from 626 volunteers contributing 11,000 hours to an amazing corps last year of 8,066 sharing a reported 141,777 hours! The 2009-10 volunteer workforce outnumbered staff at a ratio of more than 2 to 1. The demographic distribution of volunteer workers indicates a diverse make-up: 43% were parents of students, 46% were non-parents, 3% were retirees, and 8% were youth.

The 2010-11 school year begins July 22 at Polk and Taylor elementary schools and Aug. 24 at all other Cedar Rapids Community School District schools. Interested volunteers should contact their neighborhood school or call the Community Relations Office at 558-2124.