Acts of Service, Kindness: Hundreds Honor Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King

TARRYTOWN, NY – Volunteer New York! hosted its 7th annual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service community-wide event, providing over 380 volunteers with meaningful local opportunities to give back throughout the MLK Day holiday weekend in tribute to the legacy of Dr. King.

The MLK Day of Service, which is organized nationally by the Corporation for National & Community Service, is a day meant to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

“For the 7th year, I’m thrilled that so many families and individuals chose to come together, inspired by a message of hope and equality, to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” said Volunteer New York! Executive Director Alisa H. Kesten.

This year more than 22 nonprofits participated and created a variety of volunteer projects as a way for members of the community could give back and address different types of community needs.

“While the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of service allows for all types of volunteers to unite over a common and shared cause, it’s also a chance to introduce new volunteers to the nonprofits in our community. Our hope is that these volunteers continue to work with these nonprofits throughout the year, or that once inspired, they use our free volunteer placement services,” said Tony Fasciano, Volunteer New York! Director of Communications.

2017 MLK Day Nonprofit Partners

• Andrus Children's Center
• Child Advocacy Center of Putnam County
• Community Service Associates
• Family Services of Westchester's The Sharing Shelf
• Furniture Sharehouse
• Green Chimneys
• Humane Society of Westchester
• Junior League of Central Westchester
• Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center
• Meals on Wheels Programs & Services of Rockland, Inc.
• Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry
• My Second Home of Family Services of Westchester
• My Sisters' Place NY
• Paws Crossed
• Ronald McDonald House of the Greater Hudson Valley
• Somers Manor Nursing Home
• The Hudson Valley Singers
• The Nyack Center
• Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc. (WestCOP)
• Westchester Jewish Community Services' Kids Kloset
• Westchester-Rockland Project Linus
• Worldwide Community First Responder, Inc.

The core mission of Volunteer New York! is to inspire, mobilize, and equip individuals and groups to take positive action to address pressing challenges, support non-profits and improve the quality of life in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. For more than 66 years the organization has encouraged adults to serve, youth to build character, families to bond, young professionals to lead, mature adults to share their wisdom and businesses to engage through volunteerism.

Volunteer New York! helped coordinate over 299,000 hours of service, which were devoted last year to over 500 nonprofits at a value of over $8.1 million. The Corporate Champions who strongly support the mission of Volunteer New York! include: Bunge Limited, MasterCard, New York Life, PepsiCo, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Robison Corporation, Scent 2 Market, The Journal News and Lohud.com, Two’s Company, Con Edison, Empire City Casino, Keystone Property Group, M&T Bank, Morgan Stanley, PKF O'Connor Davies, The Rollins Agency, Inc., NewYork-Presbyterian, Balancing Life’s Issues, Clarfeld Financial Advisors, LLC, PCSB Bank, The Dannon Company, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Entergy, IBM, MAG Real Estate Advisors, Inc., Montefiore Health System, Pentegra Retirement Services, LLP, Reckson - a division of SL Green Realty Corp, RPW Group, Sterling National Bank, TD Bank, The Westchester Bank, and Westmed Medical Group. With ongoing support from Westchester Community Foundation, Westchester County, Corporation for National & Community Service, and the New York State Commission on National and Community Service.

Volunteer New York! maintains a searchable index of over 500 active volunteer opportunities that support local nonprofits throughout the Hudson Valley on its website www.volunteernewyork.org. As well it provides access to free volunteer placement consulting by phone, email or in-person by appointment. To start a conversation today with a volunteer placement specialist please call 914-948-4452 or email volunteer@volunteernewyork.org