Volunteers Needed: Homework Helpers

Tuesdays, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Boro Park, Brooklyn
Women Tutors Only

Has math always come easily to you? Do you know what prepositions and adjectives are? Are you an expert on ecosystems? Well . . . have you ever considered sharing your knowledge by becoming a tutor for children in need? Homework Helpers is a volunteer-led program that seeks to improve the academic performance of girls, grades four to eight, who come from single parent households affected by domestic violence. Volunteers are paired one on one with tutees to help teach and explain the homework assignments that the tutees have had difficulty with. Math, English, and Sciences assignments will also be on hand for practice.

JSAM

Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM), a global initiative which transforms the Jewish month of Cheshvan from a month without Jewish holidays into a global month celebrating volunteerism and community building, takes place this year from Oct. 28, 2011 - Nov. 26, 2011. With the support of UJA-Federation of New York, Met Council will be holding Growing Together.

Growing Together is a program that engages volunteers in service through intergenerational ‘greening’ programs serving low-income seniors. In several workshops across New York City, volunteers will facilitate a workshop on how to build an indoor window-box herb garden from recyclable materials. Volunteers will be responsible for assisting seniors in making and decorating the pots, planting the herb seeds, and installing the window-sill garden boxes. Growing Together is also a learning service opportunity that educates volunteers and senior clients on the benefits of eating locally and other sustainable initiatives available to the community.

The impact of this program is threefold: one, to provide low income seniors on a fixed budget with a fresh and free food options within their home; two, to provide an intergenerational social opportunity for both volunteers and senior clients; three, to educate attendees on the sustainable benefits of local gardens and produce.

Clients are low-income senior residents that live in Met Council-owned and operated housing sites. The intent of our senior housing program is to integrate low-income housing into the very area in which it would not ordinarily be economically viable. This program also allows seniors to remain in their community, so that they can continue to be surrounded by their friends, doctors, and relatives. Met Council has devoted these buildings entirely and exclusively to senior citizens, 62 and older.

UJA-Federation believes that we can do more good when we do it together. By taking part in JSAM, Met Council is joining 34 other UJA-Federation supported programs with participants from over 100 other organizations in the New York area to help bridge the gap between people of diverse social and geographical backgrounds. Through these collaborations, participating organizations will deepen their working relationships and help make life better for thousands more individuals and families. For more information about Growing Together please contact volunteer@metcouncil.org.

A Leader in Job Readiness: Steven Portnoy, Volunteer of the Month

Steven Portnoy has been awarded the honor of being Met Council’s volunteer of the month for October 2011. He has been a dedicated volunteer and volunteer leader for our job readiness programs for the past 6 months. When asked what attracted him to the opportunity his response was that “the opportunity to help others by utilizing skills I have developed over many years to change a life is something that holds a lot of meaning for me.”

As a regular volunteer of our Professional Networking Workshop and volunteer leader for our Resume Review Workshop and Professional Networking Workshop, Steven has always been ready to engage with clients, which is an important part of volunteering with our job readiness programs. “I have tried to impart the knowledge I have gained through my own job hunt (which was ultimately successful) to another and they will in turn hopefully help others,” says Steven.

Without Steven’s presence, personality, reliability, and willingness to help, these workshops would not be as successful as they have been. Met Council is lucky to count Steven as a dedicated volunteer. “I rest easy in knowing at the end of the day, that how however small my contribution might be, I have contributed,” Steven says in response to what he has gotten out of volunteering. Met Council can only hope that he will continue to volunteer and change people’s lives for the better within our lucky community.

An Intern's Experience at Met Council

This past summer I have been privileged to intern at Met Council. Prior to joining the organization as an intern, I had been searching extensively for other available internship positions…but to no avail. Internships are quickly snagged by college students and are not simple to come by. Yet, in the beginning of July, a relative of mine told me that she knew of a grant writing internship available at a non-profit organization called Met Council. I was elated when I was told this. An experience in the Grant Writing Department would allow me to further sharpen my communication and writing skills; qualities that are essential and highly valued in many career fields. I was also excited to intern at Met Council because I had previously volunteered for the organization by writing a newsletter about their services towards senior citizens. I had already been exposed to the extraordinary acts of kindness that the organization and its staff perform on behalf of New York Jewish community. When I volunteered at Met Council I felt privileged to be counted among the dedicated staff and realized that my efforts were benefiting the community in some way. I knew that an internship at Met Council would provide the same meaningful gratification.

It turned out that I had quite a lot to learn about grant writing and the role it plays in the organization. Yet isn’t that what internships are essentially about? Learning? It’s an extension of your college classroom, but less theoretical and perhaps more exciting. In the case of a non- profit organization, grant writing involves completing formal application processes and writing proposals that appeal to the government and other programs for funding. For instance, if the organization recognizes the need to start a unit that assists victims of family violence but they do not possess the necessary funds for the project, the grant writers will execute a proposal that includes an executive summary, statement of need, project description, and budget. This proposal will be sent to the government and/or other organizations, and will hopefully secure the necessary funding it requires. Grant writing is definitely the wheel that helps to turn the wagon and is critical for acquiring the funds that will financially support the organization’s programs and efforts.

What was my position in this department? I was responsible for researching New York demographics, Jewish poverty, and other statistics and data that were imperative for writing a grant. During my internship, Met Council’s grant writers were working on a proposal that required funding for securing RVs that would be stationed in various parts of NY and assist people with the food stamp enrollment process. Throughout the research process, I have discovered that there are a score of obstacles that prevent NY citizens in applying for government assistance. Lack of transportation, the inability to take off valuable time from work, and language barriers can all hinder the benefit enrollment process. There are hundreds of New Yorkers in need of food stamps, but the obstacles mentioned above can all restrain them from applying. Therefore, if this Met Council grant is able to access the funding it requires, NY poverty levels may significantly decrease, and food stamps will be available to those who need them.

I have also written briefings concerning Met Council’s senior citizen and family violence programs. I have carefully researched the various aspects and services that are provided in each program…and it was quite astounding! The services of Met Council’s senior citizen and family violence programs are so comprehensive that I didn’t even know where to start! The services included in the senior citizen program are housing, home-care, food assistance, transportation assistance and organized recreational activities. Similarly, Met Council’s family violence program provides an array of social services and support, such as emergency shelter relocation, financial assistance, legal aid, career development and counseling. It was particularly moments like these where I considered myself fortunate to be a part of such an exceptional organization.

Aside from the learning I gained from my work experience, I have also learned from the other volunteers and interns at Met Council. During my internship, I had the pleasure of meeting volunteers and interns who share the same passion in the work that the organization does. Some of the interns I met are planning careers in fields such as education, social research, government advocacy, and non-profit administration. Meeting them was definitely a significant part of my growth experience.

In addition, I must mention that if you are a volunteer or intern at Met Council…you are in good hands! Met Council arranges “brown bag” sessions where volunteers and interns can gather together for informative lectures on Met Council’s continuum of services. Met Council also threw us an “Intern Goodbye Party” where we were provided with lunch and statements of gratitude from our supervisors and coworkers. It was wonderful that our time and efforts were appreciated so generously…but what else can you expect from an organization that is imbued with kindness and positivity? Overall it was a very enjoyable and enriching experience here at Met Council this summer. I would love to work with them again in the future!

Care to Share

What's Care to Share? It's not just a clever rhyme.

Care to Share is a citywide food donation event taking place from Monday, October 3rd to Tuesday, October 18th encouraging volunteers to symbolically fulfill the Jewish custom of gleaning, a custom tied to the harvest season and the Sukkot period. Traditionally, farmers leave the four corners of their fields unharvested so the needy can glean from the fields with dignity.

In Brooklyn we are partnering with the Flatbush Farm Share which has their CSA (community supported agriculture) distribution on Wednesday afternoons. With two wonderful volunteer managers, we were able to spread the word about our project and were able to get donations from 28 CSA members, which is almost 20% of the members!

At the end of the day we were able to contribute about 40 pounds of fresh, organic produce to a local food pantry for the CAMBA organiztion.

As one of the donating CSA members said, "Everybody has to eat!" And they should eat well!

Volunteers Needed: Kosherfest

November 9th, 3:30PM-5:00PM
Secaucus, NJ
GREAT FOR GROUPS

Discover great innovations in kosher cuisine while helping collect food for Met Council clients in need at this year’s Kosherfest! Volunteers are needed to go collect extra food from the exhibition vendors to be distributed to families in need.

For more information, contact Kelley Baldwin at kbaldwin@metcouncil.org.