Did you hear

Minnesota still the healthiest in the nationMinnesota has hung onto its ranking of No. 1 as the healthiest state in the nation for the third straight year.In fact, we are so healthy we have been either No. 1 or No. 2 every year since 1990.According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota also has the lowest number of uninsured residents and the third-lowest rate of children living in poverty, at 9 percent. Those numbers were from the United Health Foundation, based in Minnetonka.Vermont was the second healthiest state.Louisiana and Mississippi were the two states at the bottom of the listHow can we get healthier? Two problem areas the report sited include too many people smoking and a lack of prenatal care.About a fifth of the state’s residents smoke and a quarter of the state’s pregnant women don’t get enough medical attention before they give birth.The census saysI remember when I was in high school some news people were facetiously suggesting that the birth of President Johnson’s most recent grandchild might have been the birth that put the United States over the 200 million mark.Today we’re getting close to the 300 million number.According to the U.S. Census, there are 297,862.466 people in the United States as of Monday.The U.S. Census Bureau POPClock Projection estimates:
One birth every 7 seconds
One death every 13 seconds
One net immigrant every 25 secondsThe net result is the addition of one new person every 10 seconds.That should convert to 3,153,600 people per year being added to the United States melting pot.RSVP’s service to the communityRSVP recently sent out their newsletters with some statistics about their service to the community, and the number is quite amazing.The group, which has 410 registered senior volunteers in Rock County, recorded 6,200 hours of volunteer service in August alone, a new record according to the director.From January through Sept. 30, a total of 42,000 hours of volunteer service have been recorded.If they concluded that their time is worth roughly $8.50 an hour, that would make their contributions to various Rock County organizations a total of $52,770 in August alone.The activities the group can volunteer for are varied, with 52 registered sites. Members volunteered at 42 of the 52 sites in August alone.Although the majority of the volunteers are women, men are also needed in the organization.In schools, some RSVP members serve as greeters on Wednesday mornings at both the high school and elementary, as well as helping students improve their reading skills.In various senior residential facilities around the county, RSVP volunteers help with fishing and shopping outings, craft projects, lawn mowing, popcorn popping, mail delivery, bingo, serving coffee, or just visiting someone who would enjoy having someone to talk to.If you would like to volunteer your time to the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, contact Greta Van Der Brink, Rock County RSVP coordinator at 283-5064.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com