by Julie D. Andrews
Things are looking up for York Theatre Company. The professional off-Broadway theatre – a nonprofit operating out of Saint Peter's Church basement with a ten-person staff – signed up 30 new volunteer ushers and script readers on Saturday.
“We receive 400 unsolicited scripts a year,” said Brian Blythe, associate artistic director at York Theatre Company who arrived from Astoria, Queens to recruit volunteers. “We're one of the few arts organizations that supports musical theatre writers.”
In fact, the company's annual series of forty plus readings of new musicals through its Developmental Reading Series was the incubator for such smash-hit shows as Avenue Q, Harold & Maude, Summer of '42, and Adrift in Macao.
This was just one of the 23 nonprofit organizations that participated in Saturday's third annual 2007 NYC Volunteer Recruitment Expo from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, 331 E. 70th St. (between 1st & 2nd avenues).
The objective of the event, sponsored by Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, was to connect able-bodied volunteers living on the Upper East Side with neighborhood-based nonprofits in need of a few extra hands.
“Last year, we had one giant two-day expo for all New York nonprofits,” said Brenda Rezak, the consultant to Manhattan Chamber of Commerce whose charge was getting the nonprofits to participate. “But, many of the organizations thought they would do better this year recruiting at smaller, locally-based events.”
The new outreach strategy involves focusing on small to mid-size nonprofits with tiny staffs that don't get much visibility – the nonprofits people just don't know about. Research shows, said Rezak, that because of governmental funding cuts, four out of five nonprofits must have volunteers in order to accomplish their missions.
“The expo gives people one location where they can go to learn about volunteer opportunities in their local community board area -- in this case, CB8,” said Anthony Snowden, director of volunteer services at Lenox Hill Nighborhood House who was on board at a booth. “The easier it is to get to a place, the more likely it is a person will volunteer there.”
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House seeks volunteers for its after-school and early childhood programs, teachers for adult computer skills classes, servers of lunches for the elderly, and group activity leaders at the shelter for homeless women.
If you missed the expo, but would like to get involved, contact Brian Blythe at York Theatre Company (212-935-5824) or Anthony Snowden at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House (212-744-5022, ext. 1238).
Here, a complete listing of participating Upper East Side nonprofits in need of assistance:
- ASPCA - 424 E. 92nd St. - 212-876-7700, ext. 4315
- Carnegie East House - 1844 Second Avenue - 212-360-2224
- Children for Children - 6 East 43rd St. - 212-708-0200
- Community Service Society of New York - 105 E. 22nd St., Room 401 - 212-614-5563
- East Harlem Tutorial Program - 2050 Second Avenue - 212-831-0650
- Elder Craftsmen, Inc. - 307 Seventh Avenue, Ste. 1401 - 212-319-8128
- ESNA-CERT Corp.: 245 E. 63rd St., Apt 212 - 212-751-8294
- Eviction Intervention Services - 150 E. 62nd St. - 212-308-2210
- Harlem RBI - 333 E. 100th St. - 212-722-1608
- Health Advocates for Older People - 1844 Second Avenue - 212-360-2227
- Junior Achievement of New York - 205 E. 42nd St., Ste. 203 - 212-907-0023
- Learning Leaders - 80 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor - 212-213-3370, ext 337
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House - 331 E. 70th St. (212-744-5022, ext. 1238)
- Mary Manning Walsh Home - 1339 York Avenue - 212-628-2800
- Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter - 157 E. 86th St. - 212-861-0704, etx 407
- New York Therapeutic Riding Center: 336 E. 71st St. - 212-535-3917
- Search and Care - 1844 Second Avenue - 212-289-5300, ext. 203
- Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center - 415 E. 93rd St. - 212-360-7620
- The Carter Burden Center for the Aging - 1484 First Avenue - 212-879-7400
- The East 79 St. Neighborhood Assn - 212-737-9822
- The York Theatre Company - 619 Lexington Avenue - 212-935-5824
- Yorkville Common Pantry - 8 East 109th St. - 212-410-2264, ext 113
- Yorkville Youth Athletic Association - 534 E. 88th St. - 212-360-0022
|
