Thank you for making Hands On New York Day such a great day of service. 5,000 volunteers spread out all across the city to take advantage of the beautiful weather and work towards a great cause.

Together we weeded, pruned, planted, mulched, painted, and cleaned our way to a greener New York City, revitalizing 69 public spaces and improving the quality of life for millions of residents this spring and summer.

Check out more photos from the day on Facebook as we add to our Hands On New York Day 2010 album.

We ordered 822 gallons of paint for Hands On New York Day 2010 (enough to cover more than 80,000 square feet of benches, fences, and park houses with a fresh coat!), and volunteers at Tompkins Square Park are doing their part by painting three miles of fence today.

Ebonie, a New York Cares Junior Committee member, was thrilled to be placed at William Harris Garden today. She grew up just four blocks away and played there as a child, so she’s been looking forward all week to returning to her in her old home turf to volunteer. This is what Hands On New York Day is about: bringing communities together.

It’s 8:30 a.m., and Site Captain Linda Blacken has her work cut out for her setting up rakes, paint, gloves, and other supplies for a dozen projects scheduled throughout Astoria Park today. Over 250 Hands On New York Day volunteers are expected at the park within the hour!

We’re going to have great weather for Hands On New York Day tomorrow. We’ll be blogging and posting photos and updates all day long, so stay tuned to see just how much 5,000 volunteers can accomplish in one day.

If you’re participating, we encourage you to share video clips, photos, and stories about your experience with blog@newyorkcares.org and on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

We’ll need last minute volunteers to fill in at some sites, so if you haven’t signed up and want to volunteer, come to our office by 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, and we’ll provide round-trip bus transportation to a site in need of extra hands.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

Your last chance to be a Super Fundraising Day winner is Thursday, April 22! Win a roundtrip Jetblue Airways ticket by raising the most money for Hands On New York Day before midnight.

Anyone who raises even $150 will win a prize from our suite of Cares Wear. See what you could win, and read our fundraising tips to get started asking friends, family, and coworkers to donate in honor of your volunteer service.

On three Thursdays leading up to Hands On New York Day, we’re giving away great prizes to the top fundraisers. On April 8, the volunteer who raises the most money in 24 hours will win a Flip MinoHD digital video camera, designed by New York artist Ridge Rooms.

So far volunteers have raised $30,000. Help us reach our goal of $120,000. Even if you can’t make the event, you can still compete for fundraising prizes by joining the Virtual Volunteers team.

Don’t miss your chance to win – ask your family, friends, and coworkers to donate in your name on these Super Fundraising Days. On April 15, you could win a $350 Theory gift card, and on April 22, you could win a round-trip JetBlue ticket.

With public services that are already strapped for resources facing even more budget cuts this year, the work that volunteers will do on Hands On New York Day is crucial to keeping our city’s public spaces clean and green.

This incredible day of service is also a critical fundraiser that enables New York Cares to put volunteers to work all year long at struggling city agencies, community centers, and public schools.

Take the $150 Challenge and help us reach our goal. If all Hands On New York Day volunteers raise $150 in honor of their service, New York Cares could provide $4.5 million in service to the community. Set your goal even higher and join the Team Green fundraising club.

There’s still time to register for Hands On New York Day, but even if you can’t attend the event, you can make a big impact by fundraising as a Virtual Volunteer or making a donation. Learn more about what we can accomplish with your donations.

Volunteer to give New York City a good spring greening and raise critical funds for New York Cares.

Join 5,000 volunteers to revitalize our city’s parks, gardens, playgrounds, community centers, and other public spaces, making them cleaner, greener, and ready for summer.

Hands On New York Day is an incredible day of service and a critical fundraiser for New York Cares. The money you raise will support 11,000 volunteer projects at New York Cares each year. Learn how you can get involved with this serve-a-thon www.handsonnewyorkday.org.

Give New York City a good spring greening on Hands On New York Day: Saturday, April 24.

On our annual spring day of service, you’ll join friends, family, or coworkers to revitalize New York City parks, gardens, and public spaces and fundraise for New York Cares’ year-round programs. This event is generously sponsored by HSBC Bank.

Check back soon for more information – registration begins February 17. Find out more.