21% of Richmond region adults volunteer

The number of volunteers in the Richmond region declined by 38,600 people last year as the economic downturn took its toll. Even so, a report on Volunteering in America found about 231,100 people, or 21 percent of adults, volunteered in 2008.

Based on an average of 2006 and 2008 data, the number of volunteers in Richmond ranked the city 40th of 51 large cities in percentage of volunteers. The average of 34.9 volunteer hours per resident ranked 27th of 51 large cities.

Nationally in 2008, about 26.4 percent of adults were counted as volunteers by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Those 61.8 million volunteers donated about 8 billion hours of service.

Richmond's top four volunteer activities followed the national list. At the top was fundraising, followed by collecting or distributing food, general labor and professional services/management.

The majority of people volunteered through faith-based or educational institutions, with 40.6 of people volunteering through a religious organization and 25.4 percent volunteering through an educational organization.

In addition to the official volunteers, an extra 17,557 people said they worked with their neighbors to fix a problem or improve a condition in their community without being involved in an organization.

For more information, visit http://www.VolunteeringinAmerica.gov.

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Succeeding in college when you have a traumatic brain injury isn't as simple as signing up for class.

"We've found in work we've done with students with traumatic brain injury, there are issues in terms of a newly acquired disability -- how they learn and what strengths they have, what areas need additional support," said Elizabeth Getzel at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention.

"We do a lot of assessment, time management, organizational skills, academic accommodations, working with [the] disability support services office on campus."

For the past nine years, the center's work has been limited to VCU students. This fall, it will expand to include veterans with traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, thanks to a $445,060 grant from the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund.

The three-year project will focus first on patients at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center and expand by the third year to recruit veterans from the community, Getzel said.

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The grand opening of Noodles & Company at Westchester Commons produced $2,771 for the Midlothian Family YMCA.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 31, all money from sales at the new location went to the Midlothian Family YMCA annual giving campaign.

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or . Send notices for Notable Gifts to .