May 2012- Volunteer of the Month!

On behalf of the Met Council Volunteer Department, we would like to acknowledge and congratulate Mary Maguire as our May 2012 Volunteer of the Month! Her innumerable volunteer hours have contributed tremendously to our staff's efforts to alleviate poverty in NYC. Thank you Mary!

Mary is a native New Yorker with an extensive background as an art director and advertising professional. She puts her professional experience to use as our office volunteer, working with directly with staff and clients. Met Council staff that have had the pleasure to work with her, rave about her diligence and positive attitude. Our Housing Marketing Assistant commented, "Mary has been very helpful- without her we couldn't have caught up with all our client phone calls."

Mary is a dedicated volunteer with Met Council outside of the office as well. Because giving back is important to her, she has joined us for several special events including our annual Passover food distribution for victims of domestic violence. She also beautified the outdoor space for our seniors at our low-income housing site in Manhattan by planting herbs and flowers for clients enjoy. Mary enjoys sharing her experience with her sons as well, by volunteering together at our Senior Lunch Program where they help serve a hot meal and socialize with low-income seniors. Clients and staff enjoy her wonderful personality and her outstanding contributions to Met Council.

For Mary, it is vital to continue to "give back and consider the needs of others." Her volunteer hours not only benefit Met Council staff and clients, but she has gained a new found knowledge and respect for NYC. She has learned firsthand how embracing Met Council's culture is and how our mission is to serve "thousands of New Yorkers no matter their belief system or race."

Mary made it a point to express that "while New York is the Mecca for entertainment, shopping, and dining, it is also a city that houses a huge population of people in critical need. Volunteering has opened my eyes to a city that is not all Fifth Ave and fine dining. The statistics are staggering:
- More than 1 in 4 children under the age of 18 live in poverty
- 1 in 5 New Yorkers is too poor to pay rent or buy food
- The official poverty guideline for a single adult is $10,800 or about $22,000 for a family of four!"

"These volunteer experiences and statistics have given me a new respect for all people in this city."
But by far, the most rewarding experience for Mary has been "connecting with new people and learning new things about people who truly appreciate your being there. It's a very authentic experience."

We are truly thankful for Mary's ongoing commitment to Met Council and the countless hours she has devoted to our mission. We are excited to award her as Volunteer of the Month!

To learn how you can get involved and share on the positive experiences of volunteering, check out our site! You can always contact us via volunteer@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9619 with questions or comments.

Making Volunteering Relevant

What does it mean to make volunteering relevant? Rachael Chong is CEO and founder of Catchafire, a non-profit that matches volunteers to opportunities based on their professional skill. She argues that, in order to make volunteering relevant, we must play to our strengths. A top notch lawyer, for example, would do a lot of good painting a house for low-income families but would probably be even more effective volunteering as a pro bono lawyer.

At Met Council, we have seen the advantages of a good match. While we always love to see everyone volunteering at our community kosher soup kitchen, Masbia, we are fortunate that many successful professionals choose to donate their time to our Job Readiness programs instead. These professionals are the best people for helping our clients because they speak about soft skills like interviewing and resume writing with years and years of experience.

What are your strengths and qualities?

You are: very detail-oriented and the most organized person you know
You should try volunteering for:  Office Volunteers

You are:  friendly and social
You should try volunteering for: Partners in Conversation, Masbia Soup Kitchen, Appointment Buddies, Homework Helpers

You are: Professional, Experienced, Friendly, and great at giving constructive criticism
You should try volunteering for: Professional Networking Workshop, Resume Review, Mock Interviews

You are: Patient and passionate about helping the homeless
You should try volunteering for: Job Readiness Programs in Hillside House (our Homeless Shelter for Women)

These are just a few of our programs. Do you have things you’re good at but are not sure what you want to do as a volunteer? Send us an email and we will be more than happy to help you find the most suitable opportunity: volunteer@metcouncil.org . Feel free also to fill out a questionnaire to best help us 

Greening with Goldman

As the new Volunteer Coordinator for Met Council, I had the pleasure of working my very first volunteer event this week. On Monday, a dedicated group from Goldman Sachs' Community TeamWorks project got to spend a day out of the office helping to spruce things up at the Linda & Jerome Spitzer Residence.

It was a great day to do some yard work as the beautification project planted herbs and flowers for the seniors to enjoy. The Green initiative continued as we put together a brand new compost bin for use by the seniors in residence as well as constructed an eco-friendly rain water collection bin from scratch. It was hard work but the results were amazing.

After spending the morning working outside, the action moved indoors as we prepared and served lunches for the residents. On the menu were personal pan pizzas made to order! Tomato and basil anyone? The residents were able to sit with each other and enjoy conversation and fellowship as we served them fresh, home-made pizzas hot out of the oven. One resident even remarked to me that she really enjoys these events and tries to make as many as possible because it's really the only chance she gets to socialize with her neighbors.

Seeing the smiles on the faces of the seniors as they made their way out was a great introduction to the fantastic and rewarding work our dedicated volunteers do and the impact they make on the lives of others. I look forward to seeing many of you out there soon and meeting you in person!