The New Face of the Volunteer Department

The faces of Met Council’s volunteer department have changed! We’re extremely happy to present this year’s three new AmeriCorps members – Irijah, Jessica, and Simone - who will be working hard with you, our wonderful volunteers, to better serve New Yorkers in poverty.

Irijah Stennett is excited about working with the Met Council. She has over 15 years of experience in volunteering and servicing communities in New York City and Washington, DC through health as well as educational programs. She believes, by providing opportunities to people in need, we will expand on relationships with local leaders as well as gain support from the citizens we serve. Irijah will be focused on volunteer opportunities out in Brooklyn. She is sitting outside my office and can be reached at IStennett@metcouncil.org

Jessica Cheng will be working on career readiness volunteer programming. She is really excited! Jessica is a recent graduate of The College of New Jersey, where she studied English and Political Economy. But her passion has always been for non-profits and community outreach initiatives. For the past year, Jessica worked as Advocacy and Communications intern for AARP New Jersey to create positive legislative changes for the older adult community and promote volunteerism for those over 50 years old. Jessica is sitting outside my office and can be found at jcheng@metcouncil.org

Simone Carvalho is excited to start her yearlong adventure as an AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator with the Met Council where she will be working on food, nutrition, and wellness volunteer programs. Simone graduated this past May from Rutgers University with a BS in Management and a minor in Anthropology. Besides trying to be socially and environmentally conscious in everything she does, she doesn’t take herself so seriously and has a great sense of humor and passion for food. Simone can be reached at SCarvalho@metcouncil.org

Goodbye to Sarah Leiner

Unfortunately, Sarah Leiner has concluded her AmeriCorps year of service for Met Council. I speak for everyone she worked with when I say thank you and we'll miss you. Below is Sarah's goodbye message:


As my AmeriCorps term at Met Council comes to a conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to express how grateful I am to have landed this wonderful job. Not only did this experience open my eyes to the range of needs among poor New Yorkers, but it helped me to develop a greater ethic of service, as well as helped me to grow as a professional.

I truly loved my job as an AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, helping to create and sustain ongoing programs that addressed the nutritional and social needs of Met Council’s senior residents. I found working with this vulnerable population to be very meaningful and rewarding. As I embark on the next chapter in my life, in which I will be pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at NYU, I will be taking on a field placement where I’ll be able to apply theory to practice. When I met with my field placement adviser, I already knew that I wanted to be placed at an agency whose clients were senior citizens. Thankfully, I was able to secure a case manager position at Search and Care, whose mission is to seek out older people in the community who need help in managing life's daily activities or accessing essential services, and to provide them the support and companionship they require to live with security and dignity in the manner they choose. After having learned so much about the elderly at Met Council and being provided the opportunity to work directly with this population, I believe my transition into Search and Care will be a smooth one.

And although I only earned a small stipend for the year, I certainly felt a wealth of satisfaction that comes from helping others.

A special thanks to my colleagues and supervisors for making my experience at Met Council an excellent one!