The TD Five Boro Bike Tour was last Sunday and we are so grateful to everyone who rode for our team and raised money for our programs. One rider shared her thoughts after the ride with us: 

I rode:

For New York Cares.

For Boston.

Through the 5 boroughs.

With a smile.

40 miles.

For a challenge.

To raise $2,500 and raising $3,580.

To prove I could to it.

With the support of my family, friends, co-workers and brokers.

With a smile.

For fun.

With gratitude.

For me. 

By Cristin C. Sinnott

Our 9th Annual Soirée at Providence last night was a big hit. It was great to mingle with our Junior Committee, who worked so hard to make this event a success, volunteers, and to take advantage of the free drinks and candy. Thanks so much to our sponsors, honorees, staff, and guests who made the event so fun. Here are our Top 5 Most Memorable Moments from the Soirée:

5. The 3 C’s- candy, cupcakes, and cocktails!

4. Capturing the fun on film, in the Modern Photobooth.

3. Honoring 3 amazing people: Josh Glick, DJ M.O.S., and Adam Oestreich for their incredible contributions to New York Cares (pictured top right with our Executive Director, Gary Bagley and Ebonie Johnson Cooper, Vice President of the Junior Committee).

2. A 16 Handles yogurt machine…enough said.

1. Raising a record-breaking amount of money for New York Cares!

By Jennifer Gonzalez-Goldschein

Have trouble finding the right volunteers for your volunteer program? Need some ideas on how to develop a recruitment strategy? Then our latest workshop is perfect for your organization. You’ll learn how to find the best volunteers for your agency, while providing them with a more meaningful experience. Workshop material is provided by NYC Service and New Yorkers Volunteer.

We’ll Discuss:

On a Wednesday evening in November, an event called “What About Us” turned out to be all about them, the victims of Hurricane Sandy. “What About Us” was derived from the joint efforts of three friends committed to helping rebuild New York City in the aftermath of the hurricane.

The event was held in Soho and was attended by over 400 people. Guests enjoyed drinks, live jazz music, and a silent auction which featured artwork from 20 accomplished artists who donated their pieces for this cause. The event hosts spread awareness to people in this city and all over the country, and asked those who couldn’t attend to make a donation. All of their hard work paid off. They raised over $17,000 for New York Cares hurricane relief efforts. We are so thankful for their hard work and support!

This is just one example of the many fundraising events hosted by our generous volunteers and donors. If you would like to host a fundraiser, please contact Rebecca Gnessin at 212.402.1131 or by email.

By Rebecca Gnessin

On Monday, December 10th, 600 guests joined us to celebrate New York Cares’ 25th Anniversary at our annual Winter Benefit fundraiser. The festivities, held at Cipriani’s 42nd Street, were hosted by The Honorable Harold Ford, Jr. and chaired by New York Cares Board Member, John Ehrenkranz.

In addition to recognizing 25 years of accomplishments, we honored longtime corporate partner the Macquarie Group Foundation and our 2012 Volunteer Extraordinaire, Sharnae Scott. We also paid special tribute to New York Cares’ critical role in the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts. The action-packed evening concluded on a high (as in 6’11”) note when NBA legend Bob Lanier (pictured right speaking with Sharnae Scott) worked his auctioneering magic to raise $225,000, bringing the grand total raised by the event to more than $1.45 million dollars. All funds raised will go directly to New York Cares’ ongoing programming.

By Rebecca Gnessin

For victims of a disaster, restoring normalcy is a key part of the recovery process. You can provide a little normal this season by sponsoring a Christmas tree for a family in the Rockaways affected by Hurricane Sandy. Trees provided by Anne’s Treeland, a local family owned and operated Christmas tree lot in Rego Park, will be brought to a site in the Rockaways where families can pick out a tree, children can decorate ornaments, and all can participate in holiday fun on Saturday, December 15th. You can bring joy to a family in this time of need by sponsoring their tree. Help us make the season brighter!

Anticipating for the Happy Hour was high this year with tickets selling out within two weeks. But the excitement leading up to the Happy Hour did not compare to the energy that filled LAVO last night. Raffle buckets were overflowing with tickets from partygoers taking a chance at Delta tickets, Hampton’s getaways, a shopping spree at Pinkyotto, and much, much more. Guests were able to enjoy complimentary ice-cold Sam Adams and treats from S’Amore NYC while they showed their support for New York Cares.  

The $17,000 raised at the event would not be possible without the extraordinary support from our Fundraising Committee, Chair Eric Immerman, and all of our incredibly gracious event sponsors including Kate’s Paperie and Time Out New York. DJ Flo started up the dance floor and MC Joe revved up the crowd for a fun-filled evening. Thank you to everyone who attended, we hope you had as much fun as we did!

By Lizzie Shipley

A lot of us grew up reading about superheroes, characters who sacrifice part of themselves for the greater good. One of those superheroes, Spider-Man, fights crime all over New York, and his story has come to the Broadway Stage. The friendly people from Spider-Man Turn off the Dark wanted to reward real, everyday heroes, so they generously donated tickets to us to distribute to our volunteers who are out in the city making a difference every day. After all, with great power, comes great responsibility. Below, one of our volunteers talks about her experience at the show and her work with New York Cares.

We were so excited to attend Spider-Man using my New York Cares voucher, and we even purchased additional tickets at a very attractive rate. Three generations of my family (including three adolescents, 11, 14, and 16) thoroughly enjoyed the show. The staging is incredible and the production is loaded with all kinds of interesting effects – especially the flying of course! It was so fun to watch these “cartoon” characters come to life.

We probably would not have seen the show without this special offer, an unexpected but welcome added bonus to my New York Cares work. I have volunteered on a variety of projects over the last 4 years, and can honestly say that I have had no bad experiences. It’s great to have an organization such as New York Cares; it makes locating worthy projects easy, and allows the volunteer to devote his/her energy to the projects themselves. I always tell people that New York Cares is the best-organized, most efficient volunteer group I have encountered. Thanks for treating your volunteers so well!

The New York Cares Fundraising Committee has been busy preparing for the upcoming Happy Hour. The Happy Hour is the Fundraising Committee’s ‘signature event’, and as the Chair of the Committee I am confident that this will be the best Happy Hour yet. We’ve worked hard, and been extremely lucky, to receive so many generous donations (including free beer from our beverage sponsor, Sam Adams). We believe these sponsorships have helped us sell hundreds of tickets already.

The Fundraising Committee consists of young professionals who help plan the Happy Hour. We also volunteer on special New York Cares projects. My experience with New York Cares began by taking elementary school children on field trips around the city. In fact, the Team Leader for this project is beginning his 21st year as a volunteer this year! I knew I was making a difference when I realized that these school children would not be able to go on these trips without the support New York Cares volunteers and donors.

By attending the Happy Hour on October 4th, you’ll be supporting children’s projects like the ones I’ve participated in. Thanks to your, New York Cares’ year-round programming and life changing projects that will continue to flourish.

On behalf of the Fundraising Committee, I ask you to purchase tickets to this year’s Happy Hour. It’s going to be a great night for a great cause!

By Eric Immerman 

Last week our staff was at 16 Handles’ new Murray Hill location to kick off our very own flavor – The New York Cares Cheesecake!

With Gary Bagley, Executive Director, leading the pack and armed with his topping mandate (chosen the day before by a Facebook poll), he launched the New York Cares Cheesecake. Which topping did our Facebook fans want Gary to indulge in? Fruit and graham cracker crumbles – which went perfectly with our flavor!

The best part is that throughout September 50% of the proceeds from the New York Cares Cheesecake will be donated to New York Cares. It’s the best excuse to eat frozen yogurt all month long!

We want to know – and see – how you top your New York Cares Cheesecake! Post pictures on our Facebook page or Tweet at us to let us know. One lucky frozen-yogurt-eater will be featured on our blog and will win a prize, so keep posting and tweeting all month long!

Twitter: @16Handles @NewYorkCares

By Pamela Trzop