Give & Get Open Forum

On Thursday, June 17th from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm, a member of TimeBanksNYC  will be teaching a hands on workshop on still life and charcoal drawing. The teacher has an MFA in Studio Art, so whether you’re looking to relive those days of high school art class or want to see what life would have been like had you chosen art school over a business degree, now’s your chance to experience the real thing. Everything you need will be provided (drawing pads, vine charcoal, and kneaded erasers).

The event will take place at 119 Ninth Ave between 17th and 18th, in the conference room of Hudson Guild’s Fulton Center. It’s a members-only event, but you can join right on the spot by filling out a short application and signing the member agreement. All attendees must RSVP to eventrsvp@timebanksnyc.org or 866-244-6469 (space is limited, so don’t wait!).

This event will give you a chance to see what TimeBanksNYC has to offer and learn more about how the program works.  Through a simple exchange program, it is a way for people to share their skills, spread their passions, meet neighbors, and support each other. For every hour you volunteer your skills to help someone else in the network, you earn a credit that you can then redeem for one hour of help yourself. Want to learn spanish? Need help cleaning your apartment? There is someone in TimeBanks network willing to volunteer, for you! I recently joined this organization and am excited to begin exchanging services. You can expect a lengthy post with more details on this program once I’ve banked a few hours…

On April 24th, I’ll be volunteering for Hands On New York Day, beautifying a park in Flushing, Queens. What will you be doing during National Volunteer Week?

On April 24th, New York Cares will host it’s annual Hands On New York Day. On this day dedicated to beautifying our city’s parks, community centers and gardens, you can join 5,000+ volunteers as we make these spaces cleaner, greener, and ready for summer. From 9:30 to 3pm you’ll be weeding, planting, painting, or otherwise participating in a great day of service for the city; so roll up your sleeves and enjoy a nice spring day in the park.

For more information about Hands On New York Day, visit the event home page here. You can sign up as an individual, or create your own team of volunteers. The $20 registration fee goes towards defraying the costs associated with the day; someone had to pay for all those shovels and garbage bags you’re using. This is also one of the largest fundraising days for New York Cares, which relies on money like this to maintain and run over 11,000 volunteer projects year-round; so don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to ante up and donate.

If you’re interested in joining the Give and Get NYC team, email me at info@giveandgetnyc.com

Come have a drink and meet fellow OneBrick volunteers at Sidebar. 15% of food and drink purchases and 100% of direct donations will go to Partners in Health for their relief efforts in Haiti. If you’d like to RSVP, you can do so on the OneBrick website.

According to their website,”Partners In Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts, and active in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Russia, and the United States. Our mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. Through service, training, advocacy, and research, and by establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations, PIH strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.” Partners In Health (PIH) has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years, and has been providing emergency medical services in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region since the earthquake.