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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 390-10
September 14, 2010

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SWEARS-IN NEW CLASS OF NYC CIVIC CORPS TO MOBILIZE NEW YORKERS TO VOLUNTEER

New Class will Create and Bolster Volunteer Programs at 60 Nonprofit and Public Organizations Across the City

Program Serves as a ‘Force Multiplier’ – with 200 Members from Last Year’s Class Recruiting more than 55,000 New Volunteers, who Served Nearly 1 Million New Yorkers in Need

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today swore-in the City’s second-ever class of the NYC Civic Corps – a specially trained group of AmeriCorps members who work at nonprofit organizations across the city to help those nonprofits increase the number of volunteers they can utilize, increasing the number of New Yorkers in need who can be served. The 150 new Civic Corps members will work to create sustainable volunteer management structures within nonprofits, which will remain in place after their year-long terms of service end. The first-ever class of Civic Corps members completed their service in July and during their one-year of service, the Civic Corps members helped 57 nonprofits recruit more than 55,000 new volunteers, and those volunteers provided services to nearly one million New Yorkers. The NYC Civic Corps is the signature initiative of NYC Service, the Mayor’s comprehensive initiative to promote a new era of volunteerism in New York City and strategically direct volunteers toward the City’s areas of greatest need. The Mayor was joined at the swearing-in ceremony at City Hall Plaza by First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris; the City’s Chief Service Officer Diahann Billings-Burford; Ariel Estevez, a member of the NYC Civic Corps inaugural class; and Gloria Dandridge of the Department for the Aging and Yves Telemaque of New York City Fire Department, who were presented with the new NYC Service Award for their exemplary service to their communities and the city.

“The Civic Corps is the cornerstone of our ambitious NYC Service program,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “In its first year of operation, the Civic Corps delivered on its promise, with 200 Corps members helping nonprofits utilize more than 55,000 new volunteers, and those volunteers served nearly a million New Yorkers in need. Think about that – the work of 200 dedicated people affected the lives of 1 million. That’s why we call the Civic Corps our ‘force multiplier’.”

“The NYC Civic Corp program has helped build a lasting volunteer infrastructure at nonprofits across the city to allow them to increase the services that so many people in our city rely on,” said First Deputy Mayor Harris.

NYC Civic Corps members are dispatched in teams, typically comprised of three members, and this year 60 public and nonprofit organizations received a Civic Corps member or team. The program is made possible through a partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service and its AmeriCorps program. The Corporation provided funding for the first year of the program with dollars made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This June, Mayor Bloomberg and Corporation CEO Patrick Corvington announced a $5.85 million AmeriCorps grant to support the NYC Civic Corps for the next three years.

Nearly 162 public and nonprofit organizations and 350 individuals applied to be a part of this year’s NYC Civic Corps. Civic Corps members and host organizations were selected through a rigorous application process, screened by the AmeriCorps program and a City committee formed by NYC Service. All Civic Corps members receive a $1,163 monthly living allowance, which is standard for all AmeriCorps members; health benefits; and educational awards, which can be used towards existing student loans or future education expenses.

The 2010 class of the NYC Civic Corps:

  • Average age: 25 years old
  • Youngest corps member: 20 years old
  • Oldest corps member: 64 years old
  • Countries represented: Australia, Barbados, China, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Jamaica, Nigeria, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Korea Switzerland, United States, and Trinidad and Tobago.
  • Members from New York City: 88
  • Members from New York State: 114
  • Other states represented: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington.

The new class of NYC Civic Corps received extensive training joined the host organization where they will be serving earlier this month. The 60 public and nonprofit organizations receiving assistance this year are:

Amigos del Museo del Barrio

Arab American Association of New York

Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger

Blue Engine

Brooklyn Public Library

CAMBA

Central Park Conservancy

Chhaya Community Development Corporation

Child Development Support Corporation

Children's Choice

Citizens Committee for New York City

Common Cents

Community Service Society of New York

Computers For Youth

Coro New York Leadership Center

CUNY Citizenship Now!

Episcopal Social Services of New York

F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services System

Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School

Food Bank For New York City

Friends of Van Cortlandt Park

Future Leaders Institute Charter School

Girls Inc of New York City

Girls on the Run Manhattan

Good Shepherd Services

Green City Force

GrowNYC

Hamilton-Madison House

Harlem Educational Activities Fund

Harlem RBI

Hudson Guild

I Have A Dream Foundation New York

iMentor

Jewish Association for Services for the Aged

Jumpstart

Learning Leaders

New York Cares

New York City Housing Authority

NYC Department for the Aging

NYC Department of Consumer Affairs - Office of Financial Empowerment

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs - Materials for the Arts

NYC Department of Education

NYC Department of Parks & Recreation

NYC Fire Department

NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs

NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustanibility

Phipps Community Development Corporation

Planned Parenthood of New York City

Pro Bono Net

Queens Pride House

Sisters of Charity of New York

The Doe Fund

The Horticultural Society of New York

The Laundromat Project

United Way of New York City

Visiting Nurse Service of New York

Women's Project

World Cares Center

Year Up

YWCA Brooklyn

During the first year of the program, which is a first-of-its-kind in the nation, NYC Civic Corps members helped build or expand volunteer programs at a wide range of organizations throughout the five boroughs. At Year Up, Civic Corps members expanded a mentorship program for at-risk youths. At the New York City Housing Authority, Civic Corps members worked to create and expand a program where volunteer residents worked to make housing complexes more sustainable. Working with Common Cents, Civic Corps members helped provide service opportunities at hundreds of City public schools. Civic Corps members also led the City’s efforts to recruit volunteers to assist in H1N1 vaccination efforts.

In addition to the funding provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service, NYC Civic Corps benefits from the generous contributions of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the Lizzie and Jonathan M. Tisch Foundation. NYC Civic Corps also benefits from a partnership with the Hands on Network and in-kind support provided by Gap, Inc.

About NYC Service

The NYC Civic Corps is the signature initiative of NYC Service, which was launched by Mayor Bloomberg in April 2009 to meet his State of the City pledge for New York City to lead the nation in answering President Obama’s national call to volunteerism. NYC Service is meeting its goals to make New York City the easiest place in the world to volunteer, target volunteer efforts to address the most pressing local challenges, and promote service as a core part of what it means to be a New Yorker. NYC Service aims to drive volunteer resources to six impact areas where New York City’s needs are greatest: strengthening communities, helping neighbors in need, improving education, increasing public health, enhancing emergency preparedness and protecting our environment.

Since its inception in April of 2009, NYC Service has engaged more than 500,000 New Yorkers in a wide range of volunteer activities, from helping with the City’s H1N1 vaccination and education efforts, to providing tax assistance to low-income families, to beautifying neighborhood blocks, to coating rooftops with reflective white paint. NYC Service launched 33 new or expanded volunteer initiatives and the comprehensive website, located at www.nyc.gov, has made it easier for New Yorkers to find opportunities to make a difference. More than 350,000 unique visitors to the NYC Service website had access to 1,000 volunteer opportunities.

New Yorkers can find opportunities to serve their communities by visiting www.nyc.gov or by calling 311.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser / Marc La Vorgna   (212) 788-2958




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