Some couples go out to dinner for their anniversary; instead, Jody and Eric Steinhardt served dinner to low income seniors for their 23rd wedding anniversary.

Jody, a Met Council employee, along with her husband, Eric, have been volunteering at Met Council’s Senior Lunch Program monthly since the program first began. When they both realized that they were scheduled to volunteer during their anniversary, they embraced it as an opportunity.

“We both decided that there was no better way to celebrate our anniversary than giving back,” said Eric as he took a break from plating Salisbury steak for the residents.

As a surprise for Jody, Eric covertly ordered a cake for their anniversary to give to her at the end of the program to share with the residents. After the surprise was sprung and Jody and Eric were thanked for their outstanding dedication, everybody enjoyed a piece of cake together in celebration.

Thank you to Eric and Jody for their continuing dedication and commitment to Met Council. It meant so much to the volunteer department that you chose to celebrate your 23 years together with us! We wish you many more happy years to come!

Josh Dienstag - Our Volunteer of the Month

As a way of saying thank you, Met Council presents Josh Dienstag with our Volunteer of the Month Award. Josh’s journey took him from his hometown of Boston to take a job as the partner at a hedge fund in Manhattan, and set roots down in our fair city; he has done all of this so he could spend time as the volunteer leader for Met Council’s Mock Interview Workshop. (He also moonlights at our Resume Review Workshop.)

Josh comes to us through NY Cares and brings a group of volunteers each month to work with clients on their interviewing skills. Each client brings two copies of their resume as well as a copy of a job posting that they are qualified for. The interviewers then use this posting to interview the clients so they can get real interview experience with productive feedback at the end of the session. The volunteers and clients are separated as they enter so it will be as real an experience as possible – one never knows who will be interviewing them – and they come together at the end of the evening to talk about their experience.

When asked about his feelings on the importance of volunteering, Josh explained, “Income and education gaps keep widening, which means that those less fortunate need more help than ever. Volunteering is even more important during a recession when unemployment is high. Volunteers keep coming back because they find our workshops so engaging; the clients inspire me because they are willing to be vulnerable, both by admitting they need career help and by receiving constructive criticism. One of the most rewarding parts of being a volunteer is seeing some of the Met Council clients go on to get jobs.”

Thank you Josh for the time, effort, and skill you bring to Met Council monthly!

BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS INSTRUCTOR NEEDED

Four classes a month; minimum 3 month commitment Mon - Thurs 6PM-7:30PM (subject to volunteer’s schedule)80 Maiden Lane, 22nd floor, NYC

Have you always had the desire to teach but never had the opportunity? Teach basic computer literacy to foreign-trained nurses in exam prep workshops located in the swanky financial district. Prepare learners to take the state nursing exam which is given electronically at NYC testing centers. Training and materials will be provided.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Shifra Elman at 212-453-9648 or email her at Selman@metcouncil.org.

Brown Bag: P&B Sandwiches Style

UJA-Federation of New York's Lawyer’s Division took time out of their busy site visit to volunteer for Met Council. Volunteers made over 40 peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunches packaged in beautifully decorated brown-bags. These sandwiches were distributed later that day to several low income senior clients in need. In this cold weather, we hope the homey comfort of P&B sandwiches serves to keep our low income senior clients happy and warm.

The Social Importance of the Internet

Based on the article, “'The Social Side Of The Internet': Web Users More Likely To Volunteer, Study Shows ,” internet users are more likely to be involved in volunteer activities than their non internet-user counterparts. This is not surprising, considering how socially involved most people are via the internet. It has become the hub of many a party invitation, advertisement, current event, and direct social interaction.

Statistics show that “80% of internet users participate in groups, compared with 56% of non-internet users. Moreover, social media users are even more likely to be active: 82% of social network users and 85% of Twitter users are group participants.”

Generation Y (people born between 1977 and 1990): I strongly encourage you to spread your “internet knowledge” to those who might be intimidated by or not familiar with this new wave of technology innovation. Hint: take a look at our ever-growing baby boomer generation and beyond. Show them how to navigate the web, while stressing the importance of this incredible resource.

Volunteer programs, in particular, have significantly grown and flourished due to their use of internet marketing. For example, the internet has become one of Met Council’s key tools in volunteer recruitment, as it has helped to pique the interests of those who otherwise would not have necessarily been informed about our volunteer opportunities.

Check out Met Council news, videos and more at www.metcouncil.org and get involved on our Facebook page!

Mock Interview Workshop with Metropolitan Moms

Even with the snow and muck on January 26, 2011, Metropolitan Moms and Met Council’s clients came out to participate in our Mock Interview Workshop. This was the second part of a two part workshop that Metropolitan Moms took part in to prepare Met Council clients for their continued job searches. Each client came with two different job postings for which to interview for and each Metropolitan Mom volunteer interviewed two different clients. This format gave clients the opportunity to practice interviewing for two different positions and to also receive feedback on their interviewing skills from two different interviewers!

Client Feedback:
“It was worth coming out in the snow. Both the interviewers gave me positive ways to go about getting that job. This was a great experience.”

“I am really very happy that I met Olive today because she opened my mind and my view on how to respond on questions during an interview. It was really very helpful for developing my confidence in an interview.”

Volunteer Feedback:
“Both women were very receptive and open to the mock interview. One woman I feel like I was really able to help and offer her sound advice.”

“Great great set up and execution. It is amazing to offer women this wonderful opportunity to help them with their resumes and interview skills; a true mitzvah to give them the confidence and a safe place to enhance their skills. I truly think the sessions have been incredibly organized and they have been extremely useful to the women using them.”

MLK Day

To mark the 25th anniversary of MLK Day, Met Council’s volunteer department led 4 different projects that mobilized 180 volunteers across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. From delivering self-help devices for homebound seniors to sorting thousands of donated clothing, our wonderful and energetic volunteers accomplished many amazing things in just one day. Here are some of the highlights:

• 80 volunteers sorted and organized thousands of donated clothes for clients in need
  

• 25 volunteers packaged and delivered self-help devices to homebound seniors across the five boroughs. Volunteers assembled 200 packages and delivered them to 30 seniors.
  

• 40 volunteers from UJA-Federation Long Island assembled 1400 food packages at our food warehouse

• 35 volunteers distributed over 3700 informational pamphlets about local benefits enrollment in the Bronx

These MLK Day activities will touch the lives of hundreds of our clients – individuals in need receiving food packages, clients being able to choose clothes with dignity, and seniors living more safely and independently in their own home.

None of this could have happened without our volunteers. Lorraine, a homebound senior that was a recipient of our assisted-living package, spoke highly of the MLK Day volunteers. “They were so lovely, helpful, and bright,” she said. “They really made my day.”

Check out more photos of the event.