VOA慢速英语 Unemployment Leads to Increased Volunteerism in the United States

　　BOB DOUGHTY:

　　Ian Shaw moved back to the Washington, D.C., area from Colorado hoping to find work. He had lost his job out west and saw little hope of finding another one. "There just was not any work out there at all," he says. He moved in with his father in Fairfax, Virginia, last August and began the job search again.

　　But, unemployment rates in the Washington area are at their highest level in more than ten years. After two months without luck, Mister Shaw decided to work for free. He said he wanted to help people and maybe even gain some business contacts.

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　　He decided to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, a group that builds homes for low-earning families. Mister Shaw signed up at the group's office in Manassas, Virginia. He said he knew the organization was great because his sister had volunteered for it. And, his experience in the building industry made the organization the right one for him.

　　Traci DeGroat leads the Manassas Habitat for Humanity office. She says there has been a sharp increase in volunteers recently. She said Ian Shaw was among several people who could not find paying jobs but still wanted to work.

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