What’s better than spending a day in the bright sunshine, volunteering with friends and colleagues? The great feeling of accomplishment when you take a step back and look at what you’ve done, of course!

On two days in July, Barclays Capital tackled major revitalization projects at Fort Greene Park and P.S. 46 Edward C. Blum in Brooklyn and Soundview Park and Pelham Bay Park/Orchard Beach in the Bronx.

Hundreds of Barclays volunteers painted benches and murals, installed fences, and cleaned areas for planting, making a massive difference in the aesthetics of the parks and school. In just a few hours, they did an amazing job of beautifying and protecting the community. Click here to see more photos from the day.

As usual, the employees of New York Cares’ corporate partners have gathered in swarm and made an amazing impression on our community. This time, the international accounting and consulting firm Deloitte teamed up with New York Cares to visit the kindergarten class from St. Benedict’s Day Nursery School.

The volunteers met the young students and took them on a fun trip to the Countee Cullen Library. The kindergartners signed up for their very first library cards, checked out their first books, and participated in what is arguably the most adorable game of Duck Duck Goose ever played.

At the end of the day, the kindergartners were told they were allowed to bring their books home with them. We could practically hear their cheers from our Midtown office! Congratulations to Deloitte for having such a great volunteer service day and bringing some sunshine to the kindergartners from St. Benedict’s!

Thank you to New York Cares volunteer and Hands On Hero, Ricki Stern, for generously inviting some New York Cares staff to get a sneak preview of her hilarious new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.  Congratulations to Ricki on the success of her film!