National Volunteer Rate Shows Increase

Last year the entertainment industry, big businesses, and the President himself incited American citizens to volunteer their time. So what were the results of all this encouragement?

According to the Department of Labor, only about 1 in 4 individuals volunteered their time last year from September 2008 to September to 2009. In total 63.4 million people participated in some form of community service, an increase of 0.4% from 2008.

Let us know your thoughts: are you surprised by these figures? Did you expect more or less people? Were you the one in four last year that volunteered your time? If the newest statistics make you itch to give back to the community, contact us at volunteer@metcouncil.org.

Volunteers Hit Broadway

Thanks to a generous grant from Bronx Council member Maria Baez that aims to bridge the generation gap through community service, Met Council’s senior clients and student volunteers attended Broadway’s Bye Bye Birdie this January.

Bronx public school students accompanied low income senior clients to the show and afterwards discussed their impressions of the performance together. Thanks to this wonderful opportunity, both our clients and volunteers were able to go to a Broadway show – an experience that they otherwise might not have been able to have.

So everyone got to “put on a happy face” at the unique and exciting volunteer event!

Met Council Rocks MLK Day

"Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Nearly 100 individuals volunteered with Met Council on Monday, January 18th in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. These energetic and dedicated volunteers ranged from families, to college sororities, to retired veterans, and their hard work helped Met Council create East 46th Street’s new outdoor greenhouse to create a sustainable and welcoming community garden. Over the course of the day, volunteers:


- built, painted, and treated 8 shelving units
- created 25 stained glass decorations and wind-chimes
- made 1 grand-opening banner
- made 12 thermal containers
- decorated 40 pots
- planted over 20 varieties of flower and vegetable seeds


At the end of the day, many residents came out to thank volunteers for the incredible difference they saw in their outdoor area. Thank you to our amazing volunteers for making this day such a success!!!

Holiday Volunteering

On Christmas Eve, eight of Met Council’s outstanding volunteers hosted a holiday party for our low-income seniors at our East 61st Street residence. Volunteers and residents played BINGO, made crafts, decorated cookies and brownies, and enjoyed sparkling cider to ring in the holiday season! Residents and volunteers had a fabulous time together and are even planning a joint birthday party for some time in the near future. :-) Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and housing staff for making this possible! Happy holidays!

Upcoming Volunteer Event

Bingo with seniors

Spice up a cold winter afternoon for Met Council's low income senior clients. We are looking for volunteers to help organize and run a bingo game in one of our senior residences. Volunteer duties will include setting up the room, greeting residents, facilitating the bingo game, and - most importantly - socializing with our clients.

To sign up for this opportunity, please see our posting on Volunteer Match or contact Kelley Baldwin at kbaldwin@metcouncil.org.

The Gift of Listening

Listening to one another can be a powerful experience . . . and that’s why our Volunteer Department enlisted the services of StoryCorps to record the personal histories of our senior clients.

Over the course of two days, student volunteers interviewed 10 senior residents from Council Towers in the Bronx about their life stories. Through this unique opportunity, volunteers listened to stories about immigration, war, language, parenthood, family, and much more. Our clients’ unique histories and experiences will be added to the collection at the Library of Congress. To read about one of these stories, click here.

Thank you to SAR High School and StoryCorps for gathering these treasured resources and making this wonderful event possible.

Thanksgiving Volunteer Extravaganza

The holidays are always a busy time for Met Council’s Volunteer Department. On Sunday, November 22nd, 87 enthusiastic volunteers cooked a turkey dinner, played bingo games, made holiday food packages, and served Thanksgiving meal to 115 of our low income clients.

In the spirit of thankfulness and appreciation, we would like to extend our gratitude to the volunteer groups – Park Avenue Synagogue and UJA-Federation – who made all these events possible. And a special thanks to our volunteer chef, Deborah Gelman of Dujour Foods, who supervised the chopping, sautéing, and roasting of the delicious festive meal.

In the words of a Met Council senior client, "thank you to the young men and women who greeted, socialized, and served the residents . . . I have not seen a finer group of people in this city for awhile." We couldn't agree more!

Happy holidays!