Julie Menin's Give & Take » New York

Volunteer NYC

admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:02:35 +0000

The Mayor’s Volunteer Center, in partnership with United Way New York City, created VolunteerNYC.org to serve the dual purpose of providing meaningful volunteer opportunities for New Yorkers and providing nonprofit organizations in New York City the opportunity to post their volunteer needs and publicize the services provided by their organizations. By tailoring this website specifically to New York City, this database allows you to search within your own borough and zipcode and get travel information for posted opportunities. You can also browse listings according to your field of interest and create a user profile to save your searches. The mission of VolunteerNYC.org is to help even the busiest New Yorker become a volunteer.

New York Cares

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:04:38 +0000

Each year, New York Cares helps to support more than 990 nonprofit agencies, public schools, and other deserving organizations throughout the five boroughs. More than 43,000 people volunteer their time through the organization every year and many others contribute to its holiday gift and coat drives. As a result, New York Cares has been able to help nearly 450,000 disadvantaged New Yorkers. The website allows you to search for opportunities to volunteer as an individual and provides guidance on a multitude of ways to get your company involved. Projects range from working directly with children, adults, and animals to preparing meals for the hungry or working in open spaces. Volunteering with New York Cares requires five easy steps detailed on their site.

The Door

admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:59:02 +0000

Each year over 8,000 young people, most referred by their peers, join The Door in NYC for primary health care, prenatal care and health education, mental health counseling, legal services, GED, ESL, tutoring and homework help, college preparation and computer classes, career development services and training, job placement, daily meals, arts, sports and recreational activities. The only criterion for Door membership is age (12-21). Of the 8,000 current members, the majority are between 17 and 20 years of age, with the average being 18. Most are African-American or Hispanic and a growing number are immigrants from China. As a volunteer with The Door, you can serve as a tutor in a subject area of your strength, support the organization’s administrative staff, or serve as a group leader in charge of a workshop, such as a book club. You may also opt to join the Member Services Department, which welcomes and orients joining youth and is responsible for providing a brief interview and risk assessment to all new members. Volunteers opportunities are available Monday-Friday, 10 AM – 7:30 PM and require at least three hours per week.

NYC Department of Parks & Recreation

admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:00:50 +0000

Volunteering in New York City Parks is a great way for New Yorkers to give back to their communities. You can join community groups, participate in recreational programming, or work in the parks planting and maintaining the city’s greenspaces. The site includes a calendar of upcoming events, detailed information about its ranger and horticulture-based volunteer opportunities, as well as links to other NYC-based volunteer sites and a video about volunteering with the department.

YAI – National Institute for People with Disabilities

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:06:22 +0000

Founded in 1957, YAI/NIPD provides Residential Services, Employment services, Day Services, Rehabilitation and Mental Health Services, Health Care and Home Health Care, Recreation and Camping, and Family Support Services to people with developmental and learning disabilities throughout New York City, Westchester, Long Island, Rockland and Orange Counties, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico. YAI also produces publications, conferences, training seminars, video training tapes and television programs for family members and professionals that work with the developmental and learning disabled. You can support YAI locally by participating in its Central Park Challenge.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters NYC

admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:57:53 +0000

Big Brother, Big Sisters is best known for its youth mentoring program, which pairs an adult volunteer with a youth in need of a mentor for a relationship lasting at least one year. The NYC chapter includes additional community and specialty programs that like the general mentorship program allow youth and volunteers to meet at times of their choosing. These local initiatives include the “9/11 Together We Stand Program,” which provides long-term help for children who lost a parent or close relative in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, “FDNY Partnership Program,” which pairs current or retired fire fighters with youth who lost a parent in the FDNY in the line of duty, “New American Partnership” to help youth who are first-generation Americans navigate their two cultures, “Young Mothers,” which couples female volunteers with teenage mothers in need of a friend, “Incredible Kids,” through which volunteers can provide companionship to children who have a learning or physical disability or chronic illness, and the “East New York Program,” which concentrates on foster care prevention. The organization also offers site-based programs that meet at specific locations and times, programs focused on youth in danger of incarceration or who are dealing with life with an incarcerated parent, and more.