New data on volunteering in the United States from the independent government agency AmeriCorps shows the pandemic cut deeply into the amount of time people give to charitable causes, including in Iowa.

AmeriCorps works with the Census Bureau every other year to track volunteer efforts. Iowa still remains in the top half of states where residents pitch in to help others, according to the latest research, but Michelle Raymer, senior program officer for volunteer engagement and infrastructure at Volunteer Iowa, said the pandemic sent the overall number of volunteers down sharply, at a critical time.

"At the state level, we have annual data that has shown us volunteering dropped from about 52.9% before the pandemic (to) 41.8% now," she said, "and that was at the same time that nonprofits really have been stretched thin, due to all the increased needs created by the pandemic. And so, the drop is happening when the need has never been greater."

In addition to creating a statewide volunteer database, Raymer said, Iowa is increasing outreach efforts to encourage people to donate their time, as well as increasing training for nonprofit groups to recruit more volunteers.

While the number of volunteers dropped more than 10% in the state, Raymer said Iowans are still doing a lot of what the report calls "informal helping out" - shoveling snow from the neighbor's driveway, getting groceries for someone who's homebound, reading to kids or just spending time with somebody who needs company. She said Iowa remains in the top ten states in that category, and reminded people the benefits of volunteering go both ways.

"Volunteering is great for a lot of reasons," she said. "In addition to helping the community, when people volunteer, it helps their health and wellness and helps mental health, too. And challenges with mental health, now more than ever, Iowans themselves could benefit personally from volunteering. But really, creating that high-quality, effective volunteer opportunity isn't free. It takes investment."

The AmeriCorps report said more than 60-million Americans formally volunteered with organizations in 2020 and 2021, a number that more than doubled when counting those helping their neighbors or community without a group affiliation.

This Saturday is a National Day of Protest in response to the Trump administration's recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cuts funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other programs.

Hundreds of peaceful protests are planned across the country, including at least nine in Washington state.

Liz Moore, executive director of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, is organizing an event with local health care unions, highlighting how federal cuts will hurt health care access and rural hospitals.

"This bill robs hospitals and clinics of funding, including rural hospitals and makes our already tenuous health care system strain and probably break at the seams," Moore contended. "It steals health care coverage from 16 million adults and children."

Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, praised the act's $50 billion allocation for rural health care, though the act is expected to cut total rural health spending by $155 billion.

In Eastern Washington, more than half of children rely on Apple Health, the state's Medicaid system. Moore called the act a heist.

"It really bankrolls massive tax giveaways for the ultrarich and for greedy corporations at the same time that our communities are going to be hurt," Moore asserted. "We say 'no.'"

Many may be feeling overwhelmed in the face of mass deportations or cuts to food aid across the country, Moore added but people need to keep pushing against the policies.

"When we see that we're not alone, when there's somebody you know at the rally, you didn't know was going to be there, those feelings can keep us in motion," Moore emphasized.

Members of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas are collecting signatures to add a constitutional amendment to the November 2026 ballot.

The amendment would give voters a chance to approve or reject election laws passed by the legislature.

Bonnie Miller, president of the League of Women Voters-Arkansas and chair of the coalition Save AR Democracy, said lawmakers have been enacting restrictions since 2013, making it harder for the direct democracy process to work.

"We now have to read a ballot title out loud to somebody or watch them read the entire ballot title. We're not just talking about a sentence here. In some instances, this could be pages of text," Miller outlined. "We now have to see a photo ID, we have to tell them that petition fraud is a crime."

Arkansas lawmakers said the added measures would help prevent voter fraud. There have been five Arkansans convicted of election fraud over the past 20 years.

Earlier this year, the league filed a federal lawsuit attempting to strike down five bills passed by the legislature which it said are unconstitutional and restrict the work of canvassers. Miller pointed out if the amendment is passed in next year's election, any changes to voting laws must be approved by voters.

"It would keep them from being able to refer out amendments that would change the process," Miller explained. "It means that during (the) legislative session, if they pass any bills, that affects the process that those laws don't go into effect until they're on the ballot the following year. "

Volunteers with the "Ballot Measure for Ballot Measure" campaign must collect more than 90,000 signatures by July 3, 2026.

AARP Oregon has opened up nominations for its prestigious award for volunteerism.

For the Andrus Award for Community Service, the organization will select a person or couple, age 50 or older, performing services without pay in their communities.

Geneva Craig, a volunteer for AARP Oregon, won the award in 2019 for her work organizing educational sessions for her community around Medford in Southern Oregon. She said when she was a child, her mother taught her to volunteer by supporting their sick neighbors.

"There's no age group where you can say, 'Oh, I don't have a skill, I don't have a talent,'" Craig emphasized. "You have something to offer, if only to give some support and let somebody know you care."

Oregonians do a lot of volunteering. Data from 2023 show nearly 36% of Oregonians formally volunteered through organizations, about eight points higher than the national average.

Research shows volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anxiety and depression, while making people feel more connected and happier. Craig added it is important that volunteers inspire others.

"I'm happy because I'm seeing the rise in people who are stepping back out and offering to volunteer," Craig explained. "I tried to let them know, we're not going to work you to death, OK? This is teamwork."

The deadline for Andrus Award nominations is Sept. 1. The winner receives $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit of their choosing.