Networking Workshop Kick-Off Event!

Here at Met Council we kicked off our first Networking Workshop on April 6th with great success! The workshop teaches clients how to build their professional network and works on their networking skills. To do this we have created a three parts training process; the first part is a workshop that is led by Met Council staff on how to create a professional network if you don’t have one in place. The second part has each client write a two minute pitch and a thirty second pitch (elevator pitch) which paints a quick picture of someone’s professional experience and their future goals. This helps streamline the message one is giving to others about their professional selves. The third part of the workshop is a mingling session with volunteers. Each of the workshop participants got business cards with their names on them to give out during the mingling sessions; acquiring a business card lets the client know they were successful in their attempt to network. The mingling took place between a group of enthusiastic and professional volunteers and Met Council clients. It went as follows, 20 minutes of mingling/networking then a 10 minute feedback session where volunteers and clients talked about their experience. A second round of mingling and feedback rounded off the workshop. Client feedback was that they really benefited from the workshop and volunteers felt they were able to really make a difference!

PASSOVER FOOD DISTRIBUTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Monday, April 11th 5:30 PM – 10 PM
One-time commitment

Volunteers are needed to participate in Met Council’s Passover Food Distribution for families affected by domestic violence. Duties will include registering clients, monitoring the food, handing out the packages, and helping clients carry the items. It’s a great way to help a family have enough food for Passover!

If you are interested in more information about either of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Malwina Andruczyk at (212) 453-9526 or mandru@metcouncil.org

Met Council's Debut Sunday Lunch Program at E 61st St.

This past Sunday, Met Council's E 61st Street housing site had their first Sunday Lunch Program! Similar to 3rd Avenue's lunch program, volunteers served the residents a catered, hot, kosher meal in the building's Community Room. At least 20 residents came to enjoy the free food, socialization with neighbors, and company of the Kehilath Jeshurun families who volunteered at the program.

The program was structured to mimic a restaurant atmosphere. In this capacity, the KJ volunteers were assigned various tasks, such as hostess, waiter, bartender, bus boy, salad chef, croudite chef, and server. There were "socializers" as well, who were assigned to different tables to socialize with the residents. The residents were greeted with a friendly welcome, seated at a table, and then waited on by the lovely wait staff.

The residents were incredibly receptive to the volunteers who were there to socialize with them and serve their nutritional needs. Everyone was constantly engaged in conversation, whether the interactions took place between the residents and volunteers or among the residents themselves. The residents especially took great pleasure in seeing the children, whose warm smiles contagiously spread across the face of every resident. What a delight it was to see such a high caliber of energy and excitement shared by all of those who attended this special program.

According to Richard, one of the residents, "the program was a great success!"

BlackRock Volunteers with Met Council's Career Services

Seventeen enthusiastic volunteers from BlackRock came to volunteer with Met Council’s E.H.R (Electronic Health Records) students on a slushy Wednesday night to conduct a Mock Interview Workshop. In the workshop each volunteer administered interviews to two different students. This allowed the student to get feedback on their interviewing styles and resumes from two different interviewers. Each volunteer generously donated money to Met Council which provided dinner for the event.

A pleasant surprise came when BlackRock announced they would be giving a matching donation for all the money donated by their volunteers! Having the use of such skilled volunteers for Met Council’s job readiness programs is essential to the success of these programs. They are only as good as the volunteers staffing them. Students got constructive feedback, not just the usual positive encouragement. It was real world advice on very specific details of their interviewing skills and resume compilation.


Volunteer Feedback

“I think the workshop will be very valuable to the clients. I was able to provide the interviewees with a firsthand look into what it feels like to be auditioning for a job. They appreciated the honest feedback and constructive criticism on their resumes and interviewing skills. The clients comment that they typically have a hard time distinguishing themselves amongst other candidates, so I assisted with that.”

“I think the workshop was great as the participants seemed very excited about the opportunity. It’s no secret that the economy is in recovery and jobs can be scarce so this sort of program is much needed. I thought the individuals I interviewed conveyed a lot of enthusiasm and were fully committed to the program.”

Client Feedback

“I found the sessions very helpful. Pointers were given on how to improve my resume and several interviews tips. Both of my interviewers were very competent. Thanks very much for the opportunity.”

“Very informative; it was an excellent opportunity to explore my strengths and weaknesses. It was a positive experience. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to do this exercise. I went into the first interview feeling apprehensive. By the evaluation of the second interview I felt that I had reasonable interviewing skills. The staff [BlackRock volunteers] indicated points that I need to work on. Thank you.”

Purim at Masbia!

On Sunday, March 20th, one of our highly dedicated volunteer groups, Global-Potential, served food to low-income individuals and families at Masbia, Met Council's Kosher Community Kitchen. Global-Potential is a global leadership service program that works with inner-city youth from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.

This was a particularly special day at the soup kitchen, as it was offering a festive celebration for the clients on the Jewish holiday of Purim, which some might call a "Jewish Halloween." In the spirit of Purim, the members of Global-Potential were dressed up in costume while serving the clients.

It was a bittersweet day at Masbia, as it was rewarding for the volunteers to help the individuals and families, but also painful to see so many hungry people.

Appointment Buddies Needed!

Appointment Buddies is a program that matches volunteers to our senior clients. Volunteers are expected to assist a senior client in traveling to and from various appointments. This program aims to offer assistance and support to our senior clients. By providing a volunteer to travel with our clients to their appointments, Met Council is assured that they are receiving the care that they need. It is often a challenge for seniors to travel to and from appointments, and they are often forced to rely on inconsistent services that may get them to their appointments hours before they begin. By participating in Appointment Buddies, the client will have a Met Council volunteer to travel with and get them to their appointment safely and at an appropriate time.

If you are interested, please contact Malwina Andruczyk at 212.453.9526 or mandru@metcouncil.org for more details.

First Senior Nutrition Workshop!

On Sunday, March 20th, our first Senior Nutrition Workshop took place at a senior residence in Brooklyn!

It was well attended, and led by a wonderful volunteer named Abigail.

With her help we learned a lot about how to read Nutrition Labels. We learned to question what we see on the front of a box of food, and what to look for on the nutrition label.

Workshops will be happening every month!