https://www.facebook.com/events/191728390949032/

We’ve been asked to submit names of volunteers by the end of this week.  If you’re interested, send an email to Jordan (service@gomyd.com) by Friday at noon.  Thanks!

This is also the third anniversary of the signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.  If you haven’t read it yet, check out a recent blog post – A Call to Serve (ow.ly/1Ju09h) – on the significance of this day.

Our team site for this day of service is the Friends of Dag Hammarksjold Plaza, the “Gateway to the United Nations” (ow.ly/1JUnvv).  We’ll be rolling up our sleeves to get this historic space ready for the summer.  More details to follow about the project.

Would you like to join us?

· Visit www.newyorkcaresday.org
· Select “Register”
· Choose “Join a Team” and select “Manhattan Young Democrats” from the drop down menu

As MYD is a past participant, the registration fee to join the team is half price ($10).  When signing up, use discount code NYCDS12HALF.  The funds defray the considerable costs that go into the day.

Team registration is underway and will last through next Friday, April 13th.  Sign up soon to get your spot.

Would you like to be our team leader?

On New York Cares Spring Day, team leaders work with the Site Captain to setup supplies, keep the team on track and coordinate post-volunteer drinks.

This is open to anyone and will be a great opportunity to come together as a team to give back.

I hope to see you on April 21st!

MYD has been responding to President Obama’s call to serve in our community.  Service is integral to our mission addressing social and economic issues, raising awareness about civic engagement and expanding volunteer opportunities for our members.

We had our first community service project of the year on Saturday at a City Harvest Mobile Market in Washington Heights distributing fresh produce to pre-qualified community residents.  The Mobile Market is part of City Harvest’s Healthy Neighborhoods  strategy increasing healthy food knowledge and access to affordable options in low-income neighborhoods.  Here are the pictures!

There is strong consensus that service is a powerful response to social and economic issues.  In our community, there is so much that we can do right now, this year, to make positive contributions on a range of issues through service projects.

Want to get involved?  If you are interested in volunteering with us, have ideas and suggestions about service projects or would like to lead a project, shoot me an email at service@gomyd.com.

The YCP is dedicated to reducing hunger while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency.  YCP champions the cause of the hungry through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services. YCP’s community based programs focus on East Harlem and other underserved communities throughout New York City.

Dress for Success
Twice a year, DfS hosts a sale in Manhattan/Harlem and sell clothes to all of their partner programs and female clientele, including all those who haven’t yet been suited by Dress for Success. Clients will have the opportunity to purchase suits, professional separates, and accessories at super low prices. MYDers will staff the sale and get a taste of what it feels like to work in retail (for those of us that don’t already know) much like the women of the Living Wage campaign that MYD supports.
Saturday, November 5th
Shifts 9:45am – 1:00pm
          1:00pm – 4:00pm
Contact Heather at women@GOMYD.com to sign up.

Yorkville Common Pantry
On Saturday, November 19th MYD will heading up to the Yorkville Common Pantry in East Harlem to help them prepare for Thanksgiving.  Volunteers will help sort through the many donations they receive to be distributed during Thanksgiving week.  There will be some heavy lifting.  To sign up, email Kim: secretary@GOMYD.com.

And check out all of our upcoming events on our calendar.

Check out photos from the day:

It feels so great to know our canvasses will be hanging in classrooms for years to come.  To see our amazing masterpieces, check out the slideshow below!

After you’ve done that, and are sufficiently jealous of the awesome time we had, you can sign up for our next community service event at the Bowery Mission.  Email Kim at service@gomyd.com for more info.

Special thanks to Heather, Ahmed, Jen and Darryl for coming out to help!

Blaire and Jee, two of our amazing volunteers, ran with Richard, a civil rights attorney who also happens to be almost completely blind.  He said something that really struck me: if volunteers don’t show up for these runs, he is forced to run on a treadmill.  Because we were there, he was able to do a 5 mile run in Central Park on a gorgeous, sunny day.

These athletes were amazing.  Most of them were doing 5 and 6 mile runs; I could barely do 2!  It was a truly inspiring day and I encourage everyone to get involved.

We will be organizing another MYD event later this month, but Achilles is out there every Saturday.  So just show up at 90th and 5th around 10:15 am, they’d love to have you!

http://www.achillesinternational.org/chapters/national

It’s been six months since Haiti’s deadly earthquake and over two million people are still displaced and living in refugee camps.  The women in these camps lack basic supplies, such as feminine hygiene products, soap and underwear.  Please help these women by donating these badly needed items.

This month the Manhattan Young Democrats will be working with 1199/SEIU and We Care for Haiti to collect donations.  Wednesday, July 14th is the official MYD Donation Day!  Between 7am and 11pm you can drop off donations at 1199/SEIU 310 W. 43rd St., in the lobby.  There will be two large bins set up for collection.

Items Needed:

Underwear of all sizes
Sanitary Napkins
Pantyliners
Travel size disposable wipes
Toothbrush & Toothpaste
Soap & Sanitizing Products
Washcloths
Sandals
Deodorant
Lotion
Energy bars
Zip lock bags (1 gallon size)

If you have any questions please contact Kim at service@gomyd.com.

MYDers helping out at the Lower East Side Ecology Center

This past Saturday members of MYD participated in a day of garden stewardship at the Lower East Side Ecology Center in East River Park.  The Center is a non-profit organization that offers free public compost collection and education, electronic waste recycling, stewardship of public open space and environmental education.

We pulled weeds and distributed wood chips to keep n ew weeds from growing.  We all had a great time and learned a lot!  If you’re interested in helping out the Lower East Side Ecology Center, you can check out their website for future garden stewardship days here.