Briefcase Project - A Day of Career Empowerment for Women!

Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve the community through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. This past year, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Metropolitan Council for Jewish Poverty partnered together with AmeriCorps to create sustainable volunteer programs that address the needs of the poor and near poor in the areas of career services, job readiness, hunger relief and nutrition education.

The mission of The Briefcase Project aims to provide low-income New York women with resources to prepare them to enter into the workforce. Inspired by International Women’s Day, a day of career empowerment for women was developed to become part of The Briefcase Project as a way to enable our communities to come together to inspire and strengthen those in need. The events will take place on April 27^th, May 1^st, 2012 and spread across the UJA-Federation New York network to provide women with hands on educational seminars and speakers, valuable job-readiness tools, and a new professional bag to help them get back on their feet.

The Briefcase Project was developed to provide women with resources to help them look and feel their best at job interviews and prepare them for successful entrance to the workforce. The Briefcase Project is a day of career empowerment for women to help them gain vital tools such as social media education, resume building, and interview skills to help them get back to work. Manhattan, Westchester, and Long Island will each host an event led by AmeriCorps members in their areas.

All donations will go directly to clients attending this event. Agencies that are already on-board with this initiative include:

F.E.G.S. – offers a wide variety of employment and career services that serve as a catalyst of change in the lives of many.

Mary J. Blige Center for Women – Through a partnership between WJCS and FFAWN, the center is committed to providing girls and women with skills, knowledge, resources and type of support that will empower them to pursue their personal goals and become self-sufficient, confident women.

Met Council’s Career Services Center – is a resource for low to moderate-income New Yorkers who want to find jobs or advance in their careers. Experienced employment specialists help New Yorkers with resume and interview preparation, short and long-term career planning and job search and placement.

Getting Involved

We need to collect briefcases to distribute at the locations hosting an event. Through the donation of new briefcases, portfolios and/or messenger bags to The Briefcase Project you would be supporting programs that work to strengthen, empower, and equip low-income New York women with the tools needed for their professional development and success. This donation coupled with a day of strength, inspiration, and education for women will provide them with the added confidence they need as they embark on their journey towards financial freedom and stability.

Here’s your opportunity to help us decrease the unemployment rate!

We will also be looking for skilled volunteers to help out on the day of the event. We need both professionals and non-professionals to help with a variety of projects.

The project aims to not only provide low income New York women with skills and a new briefcase or portfolio, but also a scarf to help them look and feel the part of a new professional. We are hoping to collect 200-250 new or gently used scarves to support this project. Donate towards this endeavor by dropping it off to us here at UJA-Federation New York office (529B) or sending it to our attention through the mail. Start your spring cleaning early to help empower the women of New York - donate a scarf, today!

Donations of briefcases, messenger bags and portfolios will help further motivate New Yorkers to achieve independence and financial security. Our target goal is to gather and distribute 1,000 briefcases packed with career oriented educational and support materials. This will help job seekers feel one step closer towards financial freedom and stability.

We want those in need to feel as professional as possible. Please see below for more details on the program. Your generosity truly makes a difference in our communities.

For further information or to discuss donations or volunteering, please contact:

Alexandra S. Levy at 212-836-1339/ LevyA@ujafedny.org.

Volunteer Opportunities for Teens

Yesterday, Met Council participated in the TeenLife Live 2012 Expo. Together with about 40 other local non-profit organizations, we exposed and engaged teens to volunteer opportunities available to them.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics teens are the least likely to volunteer out of any demographic. It was therefore exciting to see so many middle and high school aged students so ready to invest in their community, and rewarding to be able to provide ways for them to do so.

People often assume that teens lack the passion and resources to really be able to take ownership of their community. In New York, there is also the assumption that opportunities are hard to get to. At Met Council, we know that this is not true – there are many opportunities that young people can engage in and they are in all five boroughs. Here are just a few:

Senior Lunch Program: Serve hot kosher meals every Sunday to 20-25 low-income seniors at one of our housing sites in Kips Bay, Manhattan. Some volunteer duties include setting up, waiting on the clients, serving lunch, and – most importantly – socializing and promoting community building.

Masbia: Help out at our kosher soup kitchen to provide nutritious meals through serving or food preparation. The soup kitchen operates from Sunday to Thursday.

Benefits Outreach (great for school groups!): Spend a day or an hour in your neighborhood with your friends to spread awareness about public benefits that low-income individuals can receive from the government by putting up flyers in local restaurants and other public places.

Are you a teen? Would you like to get involved with and give back to your community? Where there is a will there is a way and Met Council is there to help you find it. Contact volunteer@metcouncil.org to get started!

I ♥ Human Services

Recently, Met Council took part in Human Services Council’s Who Cares? I Do Campaign by having our clients make “I ♥ human services” valentines. We asked participants at our Senior Lunch Program, Mock Interview Workshop, and our Professional Networking Workshop to tell us why human services are important to them by filling in their hearts:

Our AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinators beautifully compiled our favorites to display in the Met Council office for all the staff to appreciate. The results will become a part of the campaign’s 3,000 completed hearts from over 20 organizations. They colorfully illustrate the importance of our programming and the impact it has on our clients’ lives.

Here are some of the reasons why our clients love Met Council:

“I get to meet people who inspire me!”

“I have shelter and food for me and my daughter”

“You have helped me stay afloat during a tough time!”

Check out more compilations from other participating organizations here on the Who Cares? I Do Blog.

Networking for Others: Hayley Glickman, Volunteer of the Month

Congratulations to Hayley Glickman for being this month’s Volunteer of the Month! Hayley has been a dedicated volunteer for Met Council’s Job Readiness Programs, particularly our Professional Networking Workshop where she has been serving as a volunteer leader and lending her job expertise to clients for almost a year. In addition, Hayley is involved in Met Council’s MVP program for young professionals and has been eager to lend a hand in many other ways including serving Thanksgiving meals to seniors and helping with our Hanukkah Party for families of victims of domestic violence.

Hailing from Short Hills, New Jersey and graduating with a Bachelors in Communications and French from Rutgers as well as a Certificate in Digital Design from Parsons, Hayley’s interest has always been in the luxury goods industry. This has led her to work in prestigious companies including Burberry, Chanel, Coach, and L’Oréal. For the past three years, she has been the Marketing Coordinator for Elizabeth Arden, working on fragrance lines for high profile names such as Britney Spears, Elizabeth Taylor, and Lucky Brand Jeans.

She joins Met Council through her interest in volunteerism and the Jewish community. “I wanted to find an organization which would enable me to combine my Jewish background with the satisfaction of knowing that I was truly able to help someone,” Hayley explains. “I researched several outlets, but none has been more fitting than Met Council.”

Her professional background has been absolutely invaluable in helping Met Council clients receive the job readiness soft skills they need to get the jobs they desire. She also credits volunteering as great source of self-development. “For me, volunteering not only provides assistance to people in need, but also a sense of self-worth. Volunteering has become a source of reflection. I never truly understood or appreciated my success until I had the opportunity to give back. Volunteering educates and provides us with a more well-rounded background, allowing one to mature and act in a sophisticated manner.”

The Many Benefits of Volunteering with Met Council by Guest Blogger Andrea Berkman

Many people will tout the benefits of volunteering to be the knowledge that you are helping others who are in need of your help and the personal satisfaction that you get by being a part of a group working toward a common goal. Indeed, these are two of the most prominent benefits of being part of Met Council, and MVP specifically. The people I volunteer with are amazing individuals with a varied background and interesting perspectives and careers. Meeting once or twice a month at various MVP events is gratifying and enjoyable for all of us and we take our roles within the group very seriously.

Often, especially today, people are consumed with their lives and personal situations. As a result volunteering falls to the end of the “To Do List”… or falls off of the list completely and I’d argue that’s a mistake. In November I left my company and have found that getting back into the game is both mentally challenging and exhausting. At a time when I could easily forego volunteering, I have found it to be a nice reprieve from my job hunt and a great way to meet new people, network and grow relationships that I have let lapse.

Several of the people I have met and volunteered with have been essential in my job hunt. I’ve met many new contacts, gotten my resume into the hands of people I would not have been able to access without the help of these people, and have found that seeing everyone is refreshing and inspiring. I’ve attending events thanks to these new friends and have also brainstormed when I have found myself running in circles. I’ve also been able to keep things in perspective, meaning there are people out there who are not as fortunate as I – they do not have the contacts or work experience I am lucky enough to have and so their hunts can be more challenging. (Imagine being a doctor in your home country but not being able to qualify for a home nurse or health aid here.)

My point: Maybe it’s ok to donate your time with a slightly selfish motive. I didn’t begin volunteering my time due to a need to network with other professionals but it has come in quite handy now that I find myself back in the market for a job. As we often tell clients at the Networking Workshop, people want to help others and will happily do so when they can.

So, if you find yourself with a spare hour or two (or more) each month and you want to get involved with a great organization, reach out to Met Council. You will be helping out fellow New Yorkers and you never know when you will be able to leverage the experience and people you meet. Hope you can join us soon.

A Met Council Success Story

Michael G., a new Met Council Career Services client, recently signed up for all of our Job Readiness Workshops. He walked shyly into our Professional Networking Workshop, which teaches basic skills on how to market oneself to potential employers as well as make relevant connections in social settings. With the help and advice of our volunteers, he walked out of the room confident in his ability to talk to and engage employers.

Indeed, there has not yet been a client who attended our Job Readiness workshops without feeling more confident about their abilities than when they first walk through our doors; regardless of how reluctant they may have been to initially attend, every single client has commented that the workshops helped them tremendously in their job readiness skills.

It is often hard for volunteers to see the fruits of their labor in these programs since they do not see clients apply these skills in real-life situations. That makes it extra special when we get to see the direct benefits of our work. About a week later, Michael called to cancel all future workshop registrations and appointments: he had found a stable high-paying job in the field he specialized in and for a large company! The only appointment he has now is to come in next week and offer a huge thanks.

This kind of a success story is due in large part to the patience, dedication, and caliber of our volunteers, who are executives and professionals in their fields, coming from companies like Google, Wall Street Journal, and CBS.

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Michael and THANKS to all of our volunteers!

Do you want to be a part of our next success story? Contact volunteer@metcouncil.org to get involved!

Be My Volunteer

This year, there is no reason to dread the approach of February 14th. Why? Well, as this post from the Case Foundation Blog highlights, there is much more to this hallmark holiday. Besides celebrating your loved ones with chocolate and roses, share your love with your community!

This coming week, forget the carnations and heart candy. Instead, celebrate love by sharing with you neighbors, the local community, and the city at large. There are plenty of ways to do good- here are just a few of my favorites from Elaine Gast, but with a Met Council touch:

1) Will you be my...volunteer?
Donate your time to one of the many volunteer programs Met Council has to offer. Whether it is cooking and serving up hot, kosher meals at Masbia, calling home-bound seniors, or leading a career services workshop- we've got plenty of opportunities to match you up with!

2) Send love letters
Not just to your sweetheart, but to people and organizations such as UJA Federation or AmeriCorps that are doing things for the world. Tell them why you respect and appreciate their work, and that they really make a difference. If you're feeling extra romantic, include a donation.

3) Reach out to those in need
Deliver homemade cards or kosher treats to one of our many low-income housing sites for seniors or mothers.

4) Clean your closets
Get a head start on spring cleaning and donate items such as: gently used business attire, non-perishable kosher food items, or toiletries. Organizing you own drive is the most effective way for schools or groups to demonstrate they care.

5) Celebrate with Small Acts of Kindness
As it just so happens, Feb 12th to the 18th is the 13th Annual Random Acts of Kindness Week. Buy coffee, lunch, or a toll for the person behind you in line. Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine. Visit their site for hundreds of ideas more.

If you are interested in any of our opportunities, contact the volunteer department via volunteer@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9619. Check out our full site for more information and ideas!

New Year You!

This year, we are delighted to introduce a new volunteer program which is essentially a wellness resolution program to help clients set goals, provide classes and guides to help them attain them, as well as monitoring and tracking their progress with checkpoints.

In an effort to collaborate with the students in the Nutrition program at Hunter College, our AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator Simone Carvalho created this unique service experience. The students from Hunter Colleges' Nutrition program are also eligible to receive fieldwork experience in addition to volunteering. This service encourages the students to experience the human side of becoming a nutritionist by gaining hands-on experience attending to clients, not only learning just the fundamentals of a healthy diet.

'New Year You' will start as a weekly pilot program for the first three (3) months at our housing sites in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Our existing volunteers that are interested, as well as the Hunter College Nutrition students will monitor, take rate and retention of clients. The weekly workshops will include nutrition lessons, a fitness class, nutrition bingo and a monthly check-in to track the clients progress.

We are looking forward to the launch of this program, in early February. If you would like more information on how you can participate or volunteer in already existing programs contact us via email at volunteer@metcouncil.org or call 212.453.9508..