As the shifting economy affected people all across the country, a surprising thing happened. Even though money was tight and jobs hung on the line, Americans reached out to help others through service. In 2009, 63.4 million Americans volunteered to help their communities, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. That's an additional 1.6 million volunteers compared to 2008, making it the largest single-year increase since 2003. Volunteers of every age group and walk of life said yes to helping others and put in 8.l billion hours of service. People volunteer for a variety of reasons - as a way to get behind a cause or to share their passions. No matter what their reason, volunteers know that they have the power to make a difference for someone else. One hour can make a difference You can make a difference, too. Find something that you're passionate about or something that inspires you, and then find a need in your community. Start by committing one hour a week - that one hour can help a student learn to read, feed a senior citizen, shelter a homeless pet or inspire a young artist. Many community organizations are in need of extra hands, including local fire departments. Eighty percent of fire departments in the United States are volunteer fire departments. Since so many departments are in need of extra hands for non-fire related tasks, such as filing paperwork and organizing, it's a great way to put your time to use to better the lives of those around you. What can you do in an hour? An hour might not seem like a long time to accomplish anything. But you might be surprised at the good you can do in just 60 minutes. - Fall starts the deadliest season for home fires, be sure to check, change and test your home smoke alarm batteries. - Make sure your family has a plan in place in case of emergencies. - Practice safely getting out of your home in case of a fire. - Help an elderly neighbor check and change their smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries. - Help check out books at your school library. - Pack a dozen care packages for soldiers. - Organize files at a women's shelter. - Tend a community garden. - Sort food at a food bank. - Cheer on a Special Olympian. - Coach a youth sports team. - Serve a hot meal at a homeless shelter. The possibilities are endless. And you don't have to do it alone. Volunteer with friends, as a family or through your workplace. Finding a way to say yes to your community really can make a difference. Make a Difference - Change Your Clock Change Your Battery Make your home safer Twenty-three years ago, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recognized a disturbing trend that many home fire fatalities were taking place in homes without working smoke alarms. So the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program was developed to help reduce this number. Along with thousands of fire departments nationwide, Energizer and the IAFC have been reminding communities to check and change their smoke alarm batteries and to make sure their smoke alarms are working when they set their clocks. This year, daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 7. Use that extra hour to make your home safer by changing the batteries in your smoke alarms. Help others be safer In many communities, fire departments are able to distribute free batteries to citizens in need as a result of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program. Over the past 23 years, Energizer has donated more than 4 million batteries to local fire departments. This year, residents can take a simple step to protect themselves and also help local fire departments across the country protect families in need. Energizer is giving everyone an opportunity to help supply local fire departments with free smoke alarm batteries to distribute communities nationwide. As part of its new "Now That's PositivenergyTM" program that focuses on creating positive energy within communities, Energizer is providing a way for people to help increase the donations. Beginning Oct. 16, a visit to www.facebook.com/energizerbunny and a few simple clicks while on the site will help drive the number of batteries Energizer will donate to local fire departments, up to 400,000 batteries.