This week, we announced 5 New York City nonprofits that will participate in our new Volunteer Impact Partnership program (VIP).  These Community Partners will be part of an intensive 3-year volunteer impact study to identify and measure the benefits of multi-level volunteer services on nonprofit capacity.

The organizations will benefit by expanding and enhancing their programming through volunteer resources delivered by New York Cares.  The program is free to the organizations, which will collectively receive services valued at $750,000 over three years.

Participants:

• * Gallop NYC - a nonprofit that uses therapeutic horseback riding to bring new levels of confidence, coordination, communication skills, and emotional connections to children and adults with various developmental, emotional, social and physical challenges.
• * Jewish Home Life Care – a Manhattan-based non-profit pioneer in caring for the elders of New York, offers a full range of skilled nursing, rehabilitative, housing and home and community-based health services at its three campuses.
• * PS 188M, The Island School - a New York City K-8 public school on the Lower East Side.
• * Sunnyside Community Services - a multi-service organization in Queens that provides a continuum of services to community members of all ages, including programs for seniors and educational and recreational programs for children.
• * Women in Need – a comprehensive service provider offering transitional shelter housing, permanent supportive housing, and substance abuse treatment to over 10,000 of New York City’s homeless and disadvantaged women and children each year.

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Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden surprised and delighted volunteers Saturday when they visited one of our 9/11 volunteer projects.  The Vice President and Dr. Biden greeted and thanked volunteers, then rolled up their sleeves to help.

The Vice President and Dr. Biden joined 100 volunteers at PS140, the Nathan Straus School, on the Lower East Side. The group painted playground murals and line games, and made care packages for troops overseas.

The 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, signed into law last year as part of the Serve America Act, encourages people to support charitable causes, perform good deeds, or engage in other service in observance of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We’ve run projects in partnership with MyGoodDeed, the organization behind making 9/11 a day of service, for the last 6 years.

Also participating were Jordin Sparks, American Idol winner and current star of the Broadway musical In The Heights;  Susan Stern, Chair of the New York State Commission on National & Community Service; and Diahann Billings-Burford, NYC’s Chief Service Officer.

Across town in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, 100 volunteers from Fidelity Investments and the local community revitalized MS 354, The School for Integrated Learning.  Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and NYC Chief Service Officer Diahann Billings-Burford thanked volunteers for their generous efforts.

Work included creating active play areas and building outdoor tables and seating space; redesigning the cafeteria with new painting and inspirational murals; creating a welcoming entry way in the auditorium by building and installing paneled canvas murals; and creating a customized school mural based on the quote “We can see far for we are standing on the shoulders of giants.”

The MS 354 Transformation Day was part of Fidelity Investments’ partnership with HandsOn Network to revitalize learning environments and support educational needs of 11 middle schools across the US.

Photos by Gary He and Colleen Farrell.

This morning a group of New York Cares staff and volunteers came out to Times Square in support of Cities of Service, a new coalition to promote volunteerism in cities around the country.

Mayor Bloomberg and 16 other mayors announced their participation in the coalition as a way to engage citizens to combat the challenges their communities face. Learn more here, and see more pictures on Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that they’re settled in and hard at work, please join us in welcoming 10 NYC Civic Corps members to the staff at New York Cares!

These volunteers will work for us full time over the next year expanding our programs; from getting new projects off the ground to helping run our annual revitalization events and holiday programs.

Thanks to NYC Service for deploying the largest group of Civic Corps members in NYC to New York Cares.

Check out our photos from a recent revitalization project at the NYCHA South Jamaica Houses in Queens.

Mayor Bloomberg and our ED, Gary Bagley, put on their gardening gloves to work alongside 1,000 youth who beautified NYCHA sites and city parks in every borough. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg named Diahann Billings-Burford as New York City’s Chief Service Officer.

Starting with the new Middle School Mentors program, she will lead NYC Service, the city’s initiative to promote service and make NYC the easiest city in which to volunteer.  Find out more.

Mayor Bloomberg published a little poem today that touched our hearts   (though we couldn’t help thinking it might be even catchier with a line about something that rhymes with ‘bears’).

NYC SERVICE

By Mike Bloomberg

“Volunteer!” says our latest plan

Here’s how all New Yorkers can:

Read to kids

Mentor one

Help some seniors have some fun

Serve some soup

Or plant trees

Spend some time at food pantries

Coach a team

(Always nice)

Give some legal or tax advice

Learn to do CPR

Or…

Join the NYC Civic Corps

Help in any way, kind volunteers

You’ll receive New Yorkers’ cheers

But right now, to get the biggest thanks

Help the pitching on the Mets and Yanks

Last night we held our biggest ever new volunteer orientation, where we welcomed 250 New York Cares volunteers to kick off 50,000 for New York City.  We were joined by Leigh-Taylor Smith, Miss New York 2008, who helped us inspire the newest group of New Yorkers who care.

Get a taste of last night’s excitement and watch a short message from Leigh-Taylor here.

We’re just back from Mayor Bloomberg’s rally to announce NYC Service, his landmark initiative in support of the President’s call to service.

At the event, Gary Bagley (our ED) announced New York Cares’ commitment to mobilize 50,000 volunteers over the next year in support of the city (the single biggest pledge of support).  Find out more about our 50,000 For New York City campaign.

Here’s the moment, captured via mobile phone: