Utah and Idaho are the top two states for college students who volunteer, and they are volunteering more than ever, according to “College Students Helping America.”

The study was released on Oct. 16 by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

In 2005, 3.3 million of the 10.8 million college students ages 16-24 at universities in the United States volunteered their time to numerous causes.

This number is up from 2.7 million of the 10 million attending in 2002, just three years before, according to the study.

“I think students in Utah and Idaho volunteer more than students from other states because service has been instilled in us from a young age,” says Whitney Barfuss, a freshman from Eugene, Ore., who volunteers at Headstart.

Jenessa Taylor, a freshman from Orem, Utah, who volunteered for Operation Smile and helped raise over a quarter of a million dollars for their organization shares Barfuss’ opinion

“We were brought up in homes where we were taught the value of service,” Taylor said.

Many BYU-Idaho students are taking time from studying to serve.

“When you make time to volunteer, everything falls into place. I got better grades and did better in every aspect of my life when I was thinking of other people and not myself,” Taylor said.

Students volunteer off-campus in many capacities. Students volunteer at Rexburg Nursing Home, Madison Memorial Hospital, Head Start, and Upper Valley Industriesamong others.

Volunteers help people with disabilities learn to do everyday activities and meet personalized goals at Upper Valley Industries.

“We have five or six student volunteers each day,” said Linda Bishoff, the secretary at Upper Valley Industries.

The best way to get involved in service is to just jump in, Barfuss said.

“I just got an e-mail and went to the meeting and jumped right in. Talk to lots of people and go to meetings and try to get involved. Put yourself out there,” Barfuss said.

There was a 20 percent rise in the number of volunteering college students, and only an 8 percent increase in the number of students 16-24 attending college.

Steve Goldsmith, the Chairman of the Board of the Corporation for National and Community Service offered a possible explanation for the increase.

“One bright spot coming out of the 9/11 tragedy is a surge of interest by college students in serving their community,” said Goldsmith. “This rise in college student volunteering and the growing campus support for service are hopeful signs for the future of civic involvement in America. Higher education is a powerful engine of civic engagement and we are committed to working with university and student organizations and the larger nonprofit sector to nurture this growing civic generation.”

Taylor offers another explanation.

“I volunteer because it’s fun. I like to help people. I like to make people happy and I’m happy when I help others be happy,” Taylor said.

College students in Idaho volunteer at a higher rate, 44.4 percent, than the general adult population, which volunteers at a rate of 35.5 percent, according to the study.