Press Release Archives #244-99- MAYOR GIULIANI HONORS VOLUNTEERS AT 1999 MAYOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS

Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 1999

Release #244 -99

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Matthew Higgins (212) 788-2958

MAYOR GIULIANI HONORS VOLUNTEERS AT 1999 MAYOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and the Mayor's Voluntary Action Center Executive Director Harriette Heller today presented this year's annual Mayor's Volunteer Service Awards in a ceremony at City Hall. The awards honor the hard work and selfless dedication of members of New York City's volunteer community, who were nominated by not-for-profit organizations and selected for recognition by a distinguished panel of judges.

"New York City's volunteers are the driving force behind many not-for-profit organizations that exist thanks to the thousands of committed New Yorkers who donate their time and energy," said Mayor Giuliani. "Whether comforting the sick or elderly, or tutoring children in a library, volunteers are motivated by the simple satisfaction of helping their fellow New Yorkers. Today's awards give us the opportunity to show our appreciation to the men and women of New York who so often help others without asking for anything in return."

Harriette Heller, Executive Director of the Mayor's Voluntary Action Center, said, "The top winners we are recognizing today were selected from a pool of hundreds of extraordinary people who are committed to improving the lives of their fellow New Yorkers. I am proud and excited to live in a City with this kind of civic spirit."

Award recipients are selected first by a preliminary panel of judges and then by a final panel of judges comprised of New York City's not-for-profit community leaders. Among the groups singled out for top honors were Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. for its Woodlands Restoration project in Prospect Park, and the Fraternite Notre Dame for its extensive volunteer activities, including running a soup kitchen in the Harlem community. Top individual honors went to:

Kim Chu, who served as an interpreter to the Chinese community at New York University Downtown Hospital, helping to bridge the gap between members of the Chinese community and their access to health care.
Josephine Regina, who presented workshops to New York City public school students on reducing prejudice through the Prejudice Reduction Program of the RSVP Community Service Society.
Joseph Harris, who helps tutors and parents understand the world of students with disabilities.
Rachel Golden, for her involvement in many community service projects, particularly for her efforts in providing books for low-literacy public schools in Chinatown.

Established in 1967, the Mayor's Voluntary Action Center (MVAC) provides leadership in mobilizing individuals and organizations -- public, private and not-for-profit -- to participate in volunteer activities that strengthen communities throughout New York City. To this end, MVAC has developed a two-pronged approach. MVAC maintains the largest database of volunteer assignments in the country, and matches volunteers seeking a meaningful work experience with the appropriate agency seeking a committed volunteer. MVAC also provides state-of-the-art training in volunteer management, believing that the management of volunteers is a professional task requiring the agency to devote time, effort and money in order to do it properly. The MVAC runs the Clothing Bank, Clothes for the Homeless and Needy, a program that distributes new clothing to agencies and organizations that serve people who are homeless and in need throughout the five boroughs. For more information on volunteering, please call the Mayor's Voluntary Action Center at 212-788-7550.

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