When New York Cares was founded in 1987, New York City was facing many challenges, but it was hard to find ways to volunteer. Since our founding, we’ve made it easy for people to give back in their communities. One volunteer returning from Germany attests to that below: 

I am an American, and have lived in Germany for the past twenty-seven years. I returned to New York City recently for just six months because my German husband is a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University. Back in the early 80s, I tried to get involved in volunteer work in New York, but it was challenging. When I called organizations they didn’t want me if I couldn’t offer them regular hours or a big time committment every week. Since I was working full-time at the time, it was hard for me to promise consistent volunteering hours.

I can honestly say that volunteering with New York Cares during my time in the city now has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has taken me all around New York, and really let me connect with the city and its residents this time. I try to do a very wide variety of different projects. I have especially enjoyed my experiences with young people at Covenant House, as well as with delightful seniors all over the city. 

My favorite experience was dancing salsa with a pretty blonde woman at a senior center on the Upper West Side. It was a birthday party for some seniors, and I relayed special music requests from the seniors to the DJ. This blonde woman said she loved Latin music and swore that she wanted to die while dancing the mambo, which I think is something like salsa. I told her I would dance with her if she promised not to die on me, and away we went, holding hands and dancing salsa for a good long time. The whole time I concentrated on the steps she made with her pretty red shoes, and we were a fine pair. After a while we sat down again, both flushed and pleased with ourselves. She told me that she is 94-years-old. Brava!

To New York Cares – thank you for enriching my life! I’ll volunteer again whenever I return to New York. 

By Jackie Guigui-Stolberg

Sign up to volunteer today.

Groove With Me is celebrating the end of the spring semester with a dance recital performed by their girls – this time at the Apollo Theatre!

Can you assist these young dancers at recitals on May 15 and June 5? We need female volunteers with solid chaperoning, mentoring, or teaching experience. Contact Rachel Turnowski for more info.

As summer approaches and outdoor distractions abound, NYC students can often use a little extra help making sure they stay focused on their school work and end the year with great grades.

We have several new after school Homework Help programs ready to go in Queens, but our partners at I.S. 5 Q in Elmhurst, Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities in Corona, and St. Michael’s School in Flushing have been waiting months on Team Leaders to launch these projects!

Help us get them off the ground – contact Priscilla.Lam@newyorkcares.org about becoming a Homework Help Team Leader. You can choose to work with students from kindergarten to middle school age, reviewing assignments and providing academic support through the end of the school year.

Our volunteers tell us that one of the best things about volunteering with New York Cares is the variety of projects we offer. No matter how you’re looking to improve your community, we’ve got a little something for everyone. If you’re looking for more ways to get involved at New York Cares, you can help us launch dozens of new projects like these by becoming a Team Leader:

• Math Games – Review basic math concepts with elementary school students before or after school.
• Homework Help – Tutor students of all ages at one of several partner agencies in Queens, Brooklyn, or Manhattan.
• Yoga – Teach children basic yoga poses and breathing exercises on a daytime project in the Bronx or Manhattan.
• Food Pantry Distribution – Distribute bagged food to those in need in Washington Heights-Inwood.
• Citizenship Through English – Assist immigrants preparing for the U.S. Citizenship Exam through informal conversation.

Contact Takisha.Dozier@newyorkcares.org if you’re interested in any of these projects. View the full list of projects in need of a Team Leader here.

In just three weeks, thousands of generous New Yorkers have signed up to answer 17,000 gift requests through our Winter Wishes program. A huge thanks to all of the individuals and teams from companies and groups around the city who make this program possible.

We still have 15,000 letters for volunteers to answer, so please spread the word about this program to everyone you know. You can learn more about how to get involved by watching NY1′s interview with ED Gary Bagley, view sample letters on Facebook, or register at www.newyorkcares.org/winterwishes.

Our office has been getting a cute overload for the past couple of weeks as we’ve been sorting through children’s letters that come in through our Winter Wishes program.

One eight-year-old boy asks for a piggy bank because he wants to save money. “I also want a piggy bank because I can sleep with it. I can read the piggy bank stories and tickle it,” he says.

You can make winter wishes like this boy’s come true by taking one of the 32,000 letters we’ve received from low-income children and families this year. Take a look at some of the letters we’ve received on our Facebook page.

We know you won’t be able to resist these adorable letters and you’ll want to take them all, so start a team of friends and family to help you purchase gifts. Register at www.newyorkcares.org/winterwishes.

For their last project of the school year, the children and volunteers at P.S. 297 K took a break from their usual Sports Explorers program to revitalize one of their local community gardens. The kids had a blast beautifying Patrick J. Van Doren Pocket Park, especially painting new signs for the garden.

Can you think of more fun crossover projects like this that we could try? Post your suggestions here as a comment.

This past school year, 900 high school students from under-served communities in New York City were hard at work studying for the SAT with the help of devoted New York Cares volunteers.

Thanks to the 271 volunteers who helped them improve their test scores and build self-confidence, these students are now well on their way to making their dreams of college a reality.

We held a special celebration this week at Metro 53 to thank our volunteers and partner agencies  for their hard work throughout the year.

Grand Street Settlement just published a story about how it distributed 500 coats from the Coat Drive to Lower East Side children and teens who desperately need them.

This is why it’s so important.

Thanks again to everyone who gave this year.

As the deadline for our Winter Wishes program approaches, we still have 12,000 letters from kids, teens and families to give out.  Each letter is a request for a holiday gift from someone who may not get anything else special this holiday season.  Can you help?

If you, your family, company, church or synagogue, or community group would like to give gifts to families in need this season, please sign up today for Winter Wishes.