Some couples go out to dinner for their anniversary; instead, Jody and Eric Steinhardt served dinner to low income seniors for their 23rd wedding anniversary.

Jody, a Met Council employee, along with her husband, Eric, have been volunteering at Met Council’s Senior Lunch Program monthly since the program first began. When they both realized that they were scheduled to volunteer during their anniversary, they embraced it as an opportunity.

“We both decided that there was no better way to celebrate our anniversary than giving back,” said Eric as he took a break from plating Salisbury steak for the residents.

As a surprise for Jody, Eric covertly ordered a cake for their anniversary to give to her at the end of the program to share with the residents. After the surprise was sprung and Jody and Eric were thanked for their outstanding dedication, everybody enjoyed a piece of cake together in celebration.

Thank you to Eric and Jody for their continuing dedication and commitment to Met Council. It meant so much to the volunteer department that you chose to celebrate your 23 years together with us! We wish you many more happy years to come!

Josh Dienstag - Our Volunteer of the Month

As a way of saying thank you, Met Council presents Josh Dienstag with our Volunteer of the Month Award. Josh’s journey took him from his hometown of Boston to take a job as the partner at a hedge fund in Manhattan, and set roots down in our fair city; he has done all of this so he could spend time as the volunteer leader for Met Council’s Mock Interview Workshop. (He also moonlights at our Resume Review Workshop.)

Josh comes to us through NY Cares and brings a group of volunteers each month to work with clients on their interviewing skills. Each client brings two copies of their resume as well as a copy of a job posting that they are qualified for. The interviewers then use this posting to interview the clients so they can get real interview experience with productive feedback at the end of the session. The volunteers and clients are separated as they enter so it will be as real an experience as possible – one never knows who will be interviewing them – and they come together at the end of the evening to talk about their experience.

When asked about his feelings on the importance of volunteering, Josh explained, “Income and education gaps keep widening, which means that those less fortunate need more help than ever. Volunteering is even more important during a recession when unemployment is high. Volunteers keep coming back because they find our workshops so engaging; the clients inspire me because they are willing to be vulnerable, both by admitting they need career help and by receiving constructive criticism. One of the most rewarding parts of being a volunteer is seeing some of the Met Council clients go on to get jobs.”

Thank you Josh for the time, effort, and skill you bring to Met Council monthly!

BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS INSTRUCTOR NEEDED

Four classes a month; minimum 3 month commitment Mon - Thurs 6PM-7:30PM (subject to volunteer’s schedule)80 Maiden Lane, 22nd floor, NYC

Have you always had the desire to teach but never had the opportunity? Teach basic computer literacy to foreign-trained nurses in exam prep workshops located in the swanky financial district. Prepare learners to take the state nursing exam which is given electronically at NYC testing centers. Training and materials will be provided.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Shifra Elman at 212-453-9648 or email her at Selman@metcouncil.org.

Brown Bag: P&B Sandwiches Style

UJA-Federation of New York's Lawyer’s Division took time out of their busy site visit to volunteer for Met Council. Volunteers made over 40 peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunches packaged in beautifully decorated brown-bags. These sandwiches were distributed later that day to several low income senior clients in need. In this cold weather, we hope the homey comfort of P&B sandwiches serves to keep our low income senior clients happy and warm.

The Social Importance of the Internet

Based on the article, “'The Social Side Of The Internet': Web Users More Likely To Volunteer, Study Shows ,” internet users are more likely to be involved in volunteer activities than their non internet-user counterparts. This is not surprising, considering how socially involved most people are via the internet. It has become the hub of many a party invitation, advertisement, current event, and direct social interaction.

Statistics show that “80% of internet users participate in groups, compared with 56% of non-internet users. Moreover, social media users are even more likely to be active: 82% of social network users and 85% of Twitter users are group participants.”

Generation Y (people born between 1977 and 1990): I strongly encourage you to spread your “internet knowledge” to those who might be intimidated by or not familiar with this new wave of technology innovation. Hint: take a look at our ever-growing baby boomer generation and beyond. Show them how to navigate the web, while stressing the importance of this incredible resource.

Volunteer programs, in particular, have significantly grown and flourished due to their use of internet marketing. For example, the internet has become one of Met Council’s key tools in volunteer recruitment, as it has helped to pique the interests of those who otherwise would not have necessarily been informed about our volunteer opportunities.

Check out Met Council news, videos and more at www.metcouncil.org and get involved on our Facebook page!