This year’s National Conference, themed It’s Up To You! as a tribute to the
legendary Frank Sinatra song “New York, New York”, was a call to action for each
of us! New York was proud to serve as the host State for the largest gathering of
more than 5,400 members of national service programs, community volunteer organizations,
and industry leaders in the world! New Yorkers Volunteer and the State Commission
on National and Community Service were thrilled that more than 1,100 attendees represented
national service programs and community volunteer organizations across New York
State!
More than 5,000 conference attendees attended the Opening Plenary: It’s Up To You and an evening recognition celebration that recognized leadership volunteers around the nation and special Broadway Show presentations from West Side Story, Million Dollar Quartet, and The Heights.
We truly hope those who attended were able to share innovative ideas, learn new
skills, obtain practical tools and creative solutions, share best practices and
cutting-edge technology, and be exposed to inspirational models from around the
country!
There were several opportunities for recognition for those who go above and beyond
within the volunteer and community service sector. In particular, the following
awards were presented at the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s Heart of Service Awards Luncheon
at the Manhattan landmark, the Plaza Hotel.
MTVNews Correspondent Sway emceed the 2010 NCVS (Learn and Serve America) Youth Forum at MTV. It was an evening of celebration and discussion, with: The Buried Life’s Ben Nemtin, NY Youth Poet Laureate Zora Howard, Usher’s New Look representative Nyea Garner, Whitney Port formerly of The Hills, and former first daughter Barbara Bush leading a discussion about the power of youth service. There also was a surprise appearance by Landon Donovan of US Soccer!
- Harris Wofford, former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service received the
2010 Pathfinders to Peace Award presented by
Shinnyo-en Foundation.
- New York State’s First Lady, Michelle Paige Paterson was honored with the Daily
Points of Light Award for her Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge initiative,
which encourages healthy eating and daily exercise in New York’s schools.
- First Lady Paterson also presented the inaugural Governor’s ROSE Award in Recognition
Of Service Excellence to two New York State recipients. The Governor’s ROSE Award
is presented to individuals and public, private, or government entities that display
leadership and ingenuity to advance volunteering and service initiatives in the
State of New York. This year, the Rochester AmeriCorps Program of Monroe Community
College and United Way Volunteer Center of Westchester and Putnam Counties were
the award recipients (Click
HERE to read the press release).
- The New York Mets, in conjunction with Citi, New Yorkers Volunteer, and New
York City, launched the "Teammates in the Community Week," a series of initiatives
designed to foster the spirit of volunteerism and service in their hometown. During
"Teammates in the Community Week", Mets Ownership, players and front-office executives
participated in a series of diverse community outreach initiatives culminating in a Service Day at Citi Field on June 27.
Watch more about Teammates
in the Community.
(L/R) Ike Davis – New York Mets; Susan Stern - Chair, New York State Commission on National & Community Service; Mark Walter – Executive Director, New Yorkers Volunteer; Michelle Nunn – CEO, Points of Light Institute; Bill Brown – Executive VP of Citibank NA; Patrick Corvington – CEO, Corporation for National & Community Service; Diahann Billings-Burford – Chief Service Officer, NYC Service; Mike Pelfry, New York Mets; Suzanne Aisenberg – New York State Commission On National & Community Service.
We encourage you to visit the National Conference website at
www.volunteeringandservice.org for more details, photos and video of this
historic event! You’ll also find information about the 2011 National Conference
on Volunteering and Service June 6-8 in New Orleans, LA!