Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

Kendall Jarvis, a ninth-grader at Glenvar High School, tosses a beanbag to 4-year-old Greenvale student Ayven Joh. The Glenvar High School group was the largest to participate in this year's Days of Caring, which provides United Way benefactors an opportunity to see their donations at work.

Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Glenvar High School senior Martha Garman (left), freshman Jessi Strom, junior Kambrie Slate and freshman Brooke Feazell sort through food at the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank. The students were volunteering for the day.

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In Wednesday's assembly line of young volunteers at the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank, Melissa Downey abruptly halted the activity and called a quick confab with Glenvar High schoolmate Kimmie Martin.

Should Downey toss the 12-roll pack of Scott tissue, which was really an 11-pack, because it had been ripped open? Or was it safe to put in the donation bin to go out to a needy family? Without hesitating, Kimmie made the call.

Because the rolls were exposed, 17-year-old Kimmie figured, they might not be sanitary. Melissa, 14, agreed.

The tissue was tossed.

Across town at Greenvale School, Glenvar junior Taylor Montgomery welcomed his role as the oldest kid in a circle of preschoolers dancing and moving to the "bean bag" song.

By late morning, another crop of Glenvar students had raked enough leaves at the Bradley Free Clinic to fill 43 bags. Afterward, they lounged in a large multipurpose room at the facility.

Don't call today's youth self-absorbed.

More than 200 Glenvar students -- nearly one-third of the Roanoke County school's student body -- converged on five Roanoke United Way agencies Wednesday morning in a show of youthful energy, excitement and compassion for the community's less fortunate.

Sure, for some, the motives weren't altogether altruistic. Taylor, who wants to be a teacher, admitted that such activities look good on a college application. But equally enjoyable, he said, is the fellowship the activity allows.

The Glenvar group was the largest group to participate in this year's Days of Caring, which provide United Way benefactors an opportunity to visit agencies and see donor contributions at work.

Glenvar joined a list of groups this year who participated, including Erie Insurance, Shenandoah Life, Allstate Insurance and Freedom First Credit Union.

Americans are a volunteering people, according to an analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nearly 61 million Americans volunteered last year, giving 8.1 billion hours of service worth about $158 billion.

Youth represent a significant share of that effort. Another older study, conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, found that 55 percent of young people volunteer -- compared with 29 percent of adults.

That study found that young people who volunteer are less likely to engage in risky behavior. They're too busy to get in trouble. They also tend to be better students.

Taylor shrugged off skipping advanced English, chemistry and Algebra II courses Wednesday as he jumped around with children at Greenvale, first throwing a red beanbag in the air and then placing it on one knee and then an elbow.

"I'm a little immature myself, so it helps out," he said, laughing about his natural ease with the boys and girls in Chris Fisher's preschool class.

For four years, Glenvar has visited agencies and provided some much-needed help completing projects that the nonprofits may not have had the resources to complete.

This year, school buses deposited students at Greenvale, the food bank, Salvation Army, Friendship Manor, Family Service and Bradley Free Clinic.

At the clinic, Executive Director Estelle Avner joked with me earlier this week that the youth would do everything "except open-heart surgery."

Property manager Mike Reynolds had their tasks lined up. Some filed while others raked and still others washed windows. That was fine with 17-year-old junior Zach Hill.

"I like manual labor better" than working with the preschoolers, Zach said, explaining why he signed up for a return visit to Bradley.

At the food bank, half of the students packaged C batteries in groups of four in a plastic baggies. The other half went through boxes of toiletries, staples and candy and placed a pink sticker on the items, designating them as "Donated" -- not to be resold.

The recent presidential election showed that youth are engaged in and care about their nation and its communities. The Glenvar students demonstrated that spirit.

"It mostly depends on the individual," said 15-year-old Colin Bittner, a take-charge kind of kid who hoisted boxes of food as he created space for his schoolmates to continue sorting.

"If given the chance, they will do something."