Show a little heart at The New York Cares Happy Hour!

Enjoy complimentary drinks from Sam Adams and enter to win incredible raffle prizes, like roundtrip airline tickets on JetBlue Airways, a two-night stay at the Bowery Hotel, a Nintendo Wii, and more!

Date: Thursday, September 30
Time: 7:00 p.m.– 10:00 p.m.
Location: Soirée (199 Bowery, between Spring and Rivington)
Music by: DJ Joey I

Tickets start at $30. Purchase your tickets today!

Last Friday at the Mets vs. Astros game, the Mets and Citi held a special ceremony to present long-time New York Cares Team Leader Sam Fuhr with their Teammates in the Community Award, which honors volunteers who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the city.

Sam definitely fits that bill – he’s volunteered on over 200 projects – from organizing libraries, preparing meals for the disadvantaged, caring for shelter animals, and educating kids about local marine environmental issues.

New York Cares is proud to count Sam among our volunteer ranks, and we’re grateful to our friends at the Mets and Citi for extending such a unique honor to a New Yorker who cares!

This summer we ran our first Youth Service program open to all New York City public school students, giving them a chance to get out into the community and make a difference. The Teen Service Team is back for the fall, and we’re looking for teens who want to have new experiences, see new places, and meet new people.

Participating in community service is a great way to learn about yourself, social issues, and the world – and you’ll also improve your college applications and résumé while having a positive impact in the community.

If hosting a karaoke party at a senior center, cleaning up a beach front, or painting inspirational murals at a community center sound like fun to you or a high schooler you know, read more about how to get involved, and download the application.

We’re proud to partner with MyGoodDeed again for two special projects in honor of the 9/11 National Day of Service.

In observance of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, together we’re encouraging New Yorkers to support charitable causes, perform good deeds or engage in other service activities.

Volunteer with us in honor of 9/11 and rekindle the spirit of service, tolerance, and compassion that unified the world after the 9/11 attacks. You don’t need to be an oriented New York Cares volunteer, so everyone who wants to can sign up today to make a difference in the world.

Are fame and fortune calling your name? Well, they are now.

We’re scouring the city’s high schools for the next great Picasso in our Students Give Back! Mural Contest. We’ll pick one budding artist to design the signature mural to be painted on New York Cares Day at one lucky NYC public school.

We’ll also feature the top three designs on newyorkcares.org and award the 2nd and 3rd place winners with some special prizes of their own. If you think you can handle all the attention your art will get, apply now. Do you have what it takes?

J.J. Jackson first began volunteering as a way to take her mind off of things. But the distraction soon turned into a passion as she discovered how much she had to offer to fellow New Yorkers.

As a team leader at an immigrant support center, J.J. spends one day each week helping Arab American women prepare for the U.S. citizenship test. And when she’s not practicing English, J.J. is probably busy reading to eager children with special needs.

The experiences she has gathered from volunteering has given her something to smile about – and her help has given others something to smile about too.

Discover J.J.’s other projects here.

Since 1989, the New York Cares Coat Drive has collected over 1 million coats for New Yorkers in need – between 70,000 and 80,000 coats each year. A crucial element in making this happen is the availability of donated warehouse space where we receive, sort, and distribute the contributed coats to hundreds of nonprofit agencies.

Unfortunately, the space we’ve used for the past three years is no longer available, so we are now urgently seeking alternative space. The Coat Drive warehouse is the logistics hub for the entire operation. Can you help?

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a great example of small changes making a big difference!

Since May, a group of New York Cares volunteers have been visiting F·E·G·S Health and Human Services System once a month to rejuvenate and refresh the service center. Our volunteers have worked to create a green garden from scratch.

However, this garden does more than just beautify the area. New York Cares is expanding to work with the F·E·G·S residents in a horticultural therapy program, where volunteers act as mentors to the residents and learn new gardening skills. Check it out:

Click here to see more photos from the project!

Are you a dog or cat person? Perhaps you love playing with kids? Does getting your hands dirty make you feel accomplished?

New York Cares is launching a new community on Crowdrise, an online fundraising platform created by actor and activist Edward Norton, that allows you to raise money and awareness for the programs you care about. Join our team and use Facebook, Twitter, and good old-fashion email to ask people you know for a few bucks to support your volunteer work.

Crowdrise offers awesome prizes to the top fundraisers and point earners. Go head to head with Will Farrell and Seth Rogen to compete for an iPad – new laptop anyone? Even better, your efforts will expand our volunteer opportunities, helping more New Yorkers in need.

What are you waiting for? Give it a try!

Preparation for New York Cares Day 2010 is officially underway. Beyond the good it will do for schools on October 23, it’s also an excellent opportunity to gain leadership experience.

We need Site Captains, Team Leaders, and Registration Leaders to be the face of New York Cares out in the field. You don’t need to be an experienced Team Leader, or even attend orientation – we’ll make sure you feel confident in your role.

We also need artists to design amazing murals for volunteers to paint in classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds. Your art will be seen by thousands of community members, and teachers tell us the best part of New York Cares Day is seeing students’ faces when they walk in the door and see how beautiful their school looks.

Whatever your talents, help us make this amazing day of service happen! Learn more about these roles, or contact nycd@newyorkcares.org.