Oct. 8, 2003

Thank you for inviting me to speak today to the Clark Lion's club. This is the first time I've spoken to a Lion's club and I'm delighted to be here. It is especially a pleasure to talk to a group that does so much to help the community through its' service projects.

In fact service projects and volunteer activities are something I'd like to talk about today. The Lion's Motto – "We Serve" – says much about your organization. Ever since the first Lion's Club was founded in 1917 your organization has been noted for its commitment to responsible citizenship and community welfare. Your commitment to improving the welfare of others is commendable, and appreciated by everyone in the community. However, the Lion's are something of an exception in Japan, which in my view lags behind the US in encouraging and accepting volunteer workers.

Without question, the US leads in encouraging and accepting volunteer work.  There are reasons for this, not least of which is our Christian religious heritage, which puts emphasis on good works.

Let me give you some examples. In the US, most museums use volunteer "docents" to explain the art to guests. These are usually retired people with an interest in art that enjoy explaining the museum's holdings. Volunteers such as these keep the Museum's costs down while at the same time providing an enjoyable experience for the museum's visitors.

Volunteer opportunities exist at all levels in the US. High school students now take class trips to overseas locations to help build houses for those that need them. This program is called "Habitat for Humanity" and is becoming more popular every year.

Even younger children participate in community activities. There are even programs for elementary school children, who, for example, can do things like make get-well cards for people in the hospital, or visiting the elderly who cannot get out of their home.

With the increase in the number of aged, volunteer opportunities o help senior citizens had sprung up all over the country. To take just one example, in Orange County, California there is a program called the "Friend to Friend"

program whereby volunteers assist older adults with non-medical needs such as shopping, running errands, transportation to the Doctor and walking or leisure activities.

Senior citizens also have become important in volunteer activities. One popular program has retired businessmen advising young entrepreneurs on a volunteer basis. And, of course, the latest trend is "Virtual Volunteerism" whereby volunteers do work such as translation, research, legal advice and writing for newsletters right from their homes over the Internet.

The numbers of volunteers in the US and the amount of time they contribute is huge. Also, the monetary value of the work they do is enormous. According to experts, the dollar value of each hour of volunteer work was $16.54 per hour (Y1,951/hour). In 2000, an amazing 83 million people did volunteer work in the US – 44% of the population – averaging 3.6 hours a week. All this volunteer work was the equivalent of over 9 million full time workers.

According to one important study of volunteer activities, women are more likely to volunteer than men. Also, being asked to volunteer made a difference. If a person was asked, he or she was much more likely to do volunteer work than if he was never asked. 71% of those asked volunteered, whereas only 29% of volunteers had never been asked.

As in many areas of modern life, the internet has come into play: 10% of those persons with internet access used the internet to search for volunteer opportunities, learn about volunteer organizations or engage in similar activities. Three percent of those with Internet access reported volunteering over the Internet, doing such things as mentoring, tutoring or website development.

People also contribute money through the Internet. According to the survey. 14% of those who gave money to charity found their favorite charity through the Internet, and three percent of money donated was donated through the Internet itself.

Once a person gets started, it seems a person becomes involved in volunteering for life. According to the survey, adults who became involved in giving and volunteering in their youth before the age of 18 maintained that involvement into adulthood. About sixty percent of households doing volunteer work had also done volunteer work in their youth.

So, in what areas are people putting their time and money?

Everything is the short answer. Beyond that, it seems it seems the top areas for doing volunteer work are education, that is, activities like tutoring, followed by arts and culture, and then conservation and ecology.

So you see, volunteer and service work in the US is important and becoming more so. Because of a different history and culture, Japan does not have the same level of volunteer participation. The museum docents I mentioned earlier have only been accepted by a few museums this year, and Japanese high school students take trips to Kyoto rather than build homes in remote countries.

Indeed, there are some indications that volunteer work is increasing in Japan. After all, Japan has had a long tradition of neighbors helping neighbors called, I believe Otagaisama, but Japanese have been more reluctant to help people outside their own community. With the need to preserve the environment now more apparent along with events such as the demonstration of volunteerism that occurred after the Hanshin earthquake, however, it seems lately the Japanese are be more willing to give their time and effort toward improving the lives of the less fortunate outside their own community.  

As I mentioned at the start, the Lion's Club is exceptional in Japan because it is a service organization. Hearing aide and eyeglasses, food and clothing for the poor during holidays are but two of the many activities your clubs here and in the US perform. I urge you all to take the lead in promoting volunteerism in Japan. Volunteer programs like the ones I mentioned would benefit not only the recipient but also the volunteers through because you will know you've made a difference in people's lives.