Friday, July 11, 2008

2nd Annual Volunteer Ventures Expo


JASA once again sponsored the Volunteer Ventures Expo, a free conference and volunteer opportunities fair for adults 50+. This year the conference was held on June 19th from 10am-3pm at UJA-Federation of New York. The conference was produced in association with UJA-Federation of New York, New York City Department for the Aging, CSS/RSVP, ReServe and Idealist.org/Action Without Borders.

The JASA Volunteer Ventures Expo provides older adults with the opportunity to find dynamic and engaging volunteer and civic engagement programs in their communities, and connects New York City nonprofits with talented and experienced older adult volunteers. Participants had the opportunity to learn about new trends in volunteerism and met with representatives from top New York City nonprofit organizations, including New York Cares, God’s Love We Deliver, Mentoring USA and the Children’s Aid Society. Volunteers and staff members from a wide variety of nonprofits including, advocacy, arts, environmental, faith-based and cultural organizations, answered questions about volunteering with their organizations.

Look out for our 3rd Annual Volunteer Ventures Expo next summer!

Paws and Party!


The PETS Young Leaders Committee had their kickoff event Thursday, June 5th at the Village Pourhouse. The happy hour fundraiser, “Paws and Party”, attracted over 50 young professionals, volunteers, JASA staff, and friends. The Young Leaders Committee raised over $900 for the PETS Project. Money raised will help fund client relief, pet food, and pet care.

The PETS Project Young Leaders Committee was started earlier this Spring to connect enthusiastic young professionals committed to promoting awareness and increasing support for the PETS Project through exciting events and activities. Thank you to the members of the “Paws and Party” planning and host committees!

Friends Seminary Students Help Revitalize Library


This May, students from the Friends Seminary in Union Square are helping a resident of JASA’s Cooper Square Senior Housing Building revitalize the Cooper Square library. Phyllis Banek, an avid reader, wants all the residents of the building to be able to use the library as a place to find interesting books, relax and read. The Friends Seminary students are helping with the initial task of dusting and cleaning books and shelves and are also helping Phyllis alphabetize and categorize the hundreds of books into an organized and user-friendly system. Phyllis hopes that with the help of the students and other volunteers, the library organization and clean up will be finished by the end of the summer so the residents can look forward to a warm fall and winter, cozied up with lots of books!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Brunch & Jeopardy at Penn South with UJA-Federation of New York

Last month 15 young professionals from UJA-Federation of NY joined seniors from JASA’s Penn South Program for Seniors for an exciting day of bagels, lox and JASA Jeopardy! The program was sponsored by UJA’s Paint the City Green – Volunteer Day 2008 and all food and prizes were generously donated by UJA. JASA’s Volunteer Department recruited the seniors and created the JASA Jeopardy game which both seniors and volunteers enjoyed. Seniors and volunteers split into three teams and enjoyed an afternoon of good food, healthy competition, and lots of intergenerational fun!

Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks 2008

JASA is pleased to once again be a Goldman Sachs Community TeamWorks partner. Community TeamWorks is an outreach program designed to connect employees at the Investment Bank with local nonprofit organizations. JASA received funding for four projects for the 2008 summer season. At the Long Beach Senior Center Goldman Sachs employees will be joining seniors for a fun and festive “Falafel Fest.” At the Van Cortlandt Senior Center volunteers will spend part of a fun-filled day gardening, planting and beautifying the grounds of the center before relaxing with Van Cortlandt seniors at a summer BBQ with line dancing. At the Trump III NORC Goldman Sachs will sponsor a senior prom complete with great food and dancing. This will be the first year that JASA will be participating in an outing project with Goldman Sachs. Volunteers will escort seniors from the Roy Reuther Center in Far Rockaway on a trip to Ellis Island.