SOAP Up New York 2014

TAKE ACTION!

Protect human rights and provide support to victims of sex trafficking with Met Council and S.O.A.P. (Protect Our Children from Prostitution) this coming week!

Over 400 volunteers in New York and New Jersey will come together to distribute tens of thousands of soap bars labeled with the National Human Trafficking Hotline and posters of missing children to hotels ahead of the Super Bowl. Large sporting events like the Super Bowl attracts thousands of tourists each year and is linked to higher incidents of sex trafficking.

By providing these outreach materials to hotels and making the hotline more readily available, we will increase the likelihood of reaching a missing child or sex trafficking victim. You can be a part of our campaign! We can only reach these victims with your help- luckily, there are different options for you to participate during the day or after work:

URGENT NEED- SOAP Up New York– ReWrap
Midtown Manhattan
Wednesday, January 29th- 10am to 1pm
Before we head out to canvass hotels, we need your help to rewrap bars of soap with the vital information and National Human Trafficking Hotline. This is a great opportunity for shy or young volunteers who still want to make an impact on this growing issue.
- Individuals and groups welcome.
- Volunteers must be 14+. 
- You MUST register to attend this event. Please click here to register.
 


URGENT NEED- SOAP Up New York– Canvassing
Midtown Manhattan
Thursday, January 30^th, 2014- 6:30pm
Volunteers will be thoroughly trained on this issue, how to approach hotel managers, and then supplied with the tools, maps, and materials necessary to canvass hotels in midtown Manhattan.
- Individuals and groups welcome though we suggest signing up as a pair or small group, otherwise we will assign you a partner.
- Volunteers must be 18+.
- You MUST register to attend this training. Please click here to register.

For more information on either of these opportunities, please contact Simone Carvalho at scarva@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9675.

MLK Day 2014 Recap

Yesterday for the MLK Day of Service, 8 volunteers of various ages and painting experience took action as thousands of others did across the country to commemorate the holiday. They made it a "day on- not a day off!"

Our volunteers repainted the community room of Met Council's Spitzer Residence, a moderate-income senior housing site in Manhattan.Within 3 hours, they completed the task with meticulous attention to detail- professionals couldn't have done it better! Thanks to their efforts, residents can enjoy the freshly repainted room for their weekly luncheons and other special occasions. 

 Thank you! Be sure to join us next year for this National Day of Service!

Volunteer Recognition 2013 Recap

Last month, on December 3rd, 2013, Met Council's Volunteer Department had the opportunity to celebrate and show our appreciation for all our volunteers. You can check out photos on our Facebook and be sure to tag yourself if you were there! Here is a recap and listing of all our award recipients:

Most Dedicated Award- Andrew Schaeffer and Mary Bays

 

Leadership Award- Geoff Cutler and Jodi Smith

 

Most Creative Award- Stacy Cohen, Trevor Smith, and Kevin Wilson

 

Sandy Recovery Award- Madelyn Freundlich and OREY

40 for 40 Participation Awards

 
Marvin Cohen Volunteer of the Year Award- Emma Golod and Raisa Titayevkaya z"l 

We also gave out Presidential Awards to the following volunteers: 
Gold- Those who have volunteered 250 or more hours in the past year.
Scott Aronin, Gang Chen, Jiani Wu, Xiaojing Guo 

Silver-Those who have volunteered between 175 and 249 hours in the past year.
Bryan Schonfeld, Sarah Roden, Harold Markowitz 
Bronze- Those who have volunteered between 100 and 174 hours in the past year.
Saul Ackerman, Emily Bader, Josh Barsky

 Thank you and congratulations to all our award recipients! We look forward to another year of exemplary volunteers and hope to see more of you at the 9th annual 2014 Volunteer Recognition Event!

January 2014- Volunteer of the Month- Yael Segal!

Congratulations to Yael Segal, our January 2014 Volunteer of the Month!

 Yael is a full time mom who is also a personal trainer and registered nurse originally from Israel. She came by Met Council’s volunteer opportunities from word from a friend when looking for a way to give back to her community. Each week, Yael travels from Long Island to lead a chair exercise workshop for seniors at our low-income housing site in Brooklyn. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm and developing relationships with the dedicated clients who attend the workshop each week. After a few short weeks of leading, she also generously donated a new DVD of chair exercises for our collection.

In the new year, Yael will also become a volunteer for our Helpful Hands Program to assist clients in various tasks as they continue to rebuild a year after Sandy. In years past, Yael has spent time volunteering to aid children in Peru which inspired her to continue when she moved to New York 8 years ago. Her commitment to serve and give back to the community is outstanding. For this, we are nominating Yael our Volunteer of the Month for January 2014.

Serve on MLK Day- January 20th, 2014

To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, each year thousands of volunteers donate their day off from school or work to serve their community. If you are interested in taking action on your time off this year, join Met Council in organizing and repainting the community room, garbage rooms, and kitchen at Met Council’s Spitzer Residence. If you are interested in making a positive impact on a seniors life by re-painting one of Met Council’s low-income senior residences than this is the volunteer opportunity for you! 

By repainting the community room, we will create a welcoming environment and the seniors will use the space more often to visit with other residents in the building.

Clients are low-income senior residents that live in Met Council-owned and operated housing sites.  The intent of our senior housing program is to integrate low-income housing into the very area in which it would not ordinarily be economically viable. This project will help in create a more enjoyable environment for our seniors. 

YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Volunteer description: 

Age:  16 years and older

Group or Individual: Groups and individuals welcome

Min and Max # of Volunteers: up to 25 volunteers

Cost: $10 towards the cost of goods such as paint, brushes, tape, and more

Time: 10am to 1pm

Location: Upper East side of Manhattan

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Contact Information: Volunteer Department and/or Volunteer Coordinator

volunteer@metcouncil.org, (212) 453-9508