Kindness = Happiness so Volunteer with NY Cares!
VOLUNTEER WITH NY CARES
From: By Eivorsen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66180058
If you read the post about the Yale Course, The Science of Well-Being or, even better, took the class on Coursera, you will know that there is a scientific correlation between those who are happy and those who are kind. I mean, you probably don’t need anyone to tell you that doing good unto others usually brings good things onto the bestower. This is one reason why engaging in service usually leaves people wanting to do more service.
You might want to do more kindness but don’t have a clear idea of where to start. This is why I am writing to shed some light on how to volunteer with NY Cares. You may have heard of this organization that runs things like Coat Drives, provides free SAT prep to city high school students and runs an amazing Winter Wishes program that makes sure kids in need get gifts during the holiday season.
However, NY Cares runs small community service projects almost every day and in all five boroughs. There are an extensive variety of projects so there is really something for everyone. You want to walk dogs? They’ve got that! Do you like working with your hands? Let’s restore a park or paint a school! Gardening? Uh huh. You want to work with kids? Sure, sign up to chaperone a trip to the aquarium or volunteer each week to do some after school art classes or tutoring. You can read to those who cannot see or lead a game of Bingo in an Upper West Side nursing home. The list goes on and on.
What is great is that you can volunteer as much or as little as you want. If you want to do something once a year for one of their big event days, that’s okay! If you want to garden for the summer in your local community park, that’s probably available, or maybe you want to make a weekly commitment to cook in the soup kitchen and have the chance to be part of a community of regular volunteers who feed the hungry. This could be a great way to make meaningful connections with other people who share your interests or values while you also bring a smile to another’s face. This has to make you feel happier, right?
If you want to volunteer with NY Cares, you first need to attend an hour long orientation. There are many of these going on around the city at different times so it won’t be hard to sign up. From there, you are able to sign up for whatever service opportunities available on their easy-to-search cite. There are also opportunities to become a project leader, if that’s something that interests you.
Click on over to the site to sign up for an orientation, or learn if NY Cares may be a good match for you!