IRTA members count. Community service is a key focus of our organization. Members can report their volunteer hours to IRTA, and the association will forward this information to their local chapter. A key part of the IRTA Mission Statement is to provide "community leadership, service, and guidance." Our outstanding IRTA volunteers are meeting this goal with national awards to prove it! The association wants to continue to show the Governor and the Legislature, as part of our legislative strategy, that retired educators are as giving to their fellow citizens in retirement as they were to children in the classroom.

According to newly revised U.S. Department of Labor statistics, a volunteer hour is worth $19.51, which means the record-breaking 1,103,752 volunteer hours performed by IRTA members in 2007 were worth $21,534,201.52. IRTA leaders presented a mock check to Governor Daniels to commemorate this achievement. 2007 marked the fourth consecutive year in which IRTA members have performed in excess of one million volunteer hours. Photo by John Maxwell, courtesy of Office of the Governor.