Some US jobless find hope and solace as volunteers

Half the 62 million Americans who volunteered last year said they did because they were asked to, according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The survey found 22 percent of unemployed people volunteer, compared to 34 percent of part-time workers.

The rise in unemployment is unlikely to generate a surge in volunteerism, since those losing jobs are busy looking for work or going to school to learn new skills, said Leslie Lenkowsky, a Philanthropic Studies professor at Indiana University.

Volunteers can be fickle, with one-third dropping out from year to year, and the median commitment is an hour a week.

Ammon said he used his newly learned construction skills to renovate several homes and has earned needed cash as a handy-man. Meanwhile, he rubbed shoulders with everyone from executives to receptionists whose companies gave them days off to volunteer.

And he never tires of the outpouring of joy when a new owner is handed the key to a house they built together.

(Editing by Michael Conlon and David Wiessler)