How May I Help YOU?

‘Tis the season to be jolly…and giving. When you make your list, check it twice, and make sure you include lending a helping hand to someone in need by volunteering  your time this holiday season.By Jissel Garcia.It’s that time again. For one month, the city of neon and chrome transforms into an urban version of a Christmas village. Families from near and far gather together to celebrate the holidays, meals are abundant, and every would-be grinch turns into a giving soul – gifts for everyone!Yet as merry as the holidays are, Christmas season can be a very difficult time for some.Every night, more than 45,000 people experience homelessness, 17,000 of them children--and this number has doubled in the last 10 years. On nights when the weather gets so cold even a snowman would shiver, there is no place to turn -shelters are overcrowded, and many are poorly attended.“Community service is important because things can always be worse. Whenever you are lucky enough to have food and shelter, you should appreciate it and give back to those who don’t,” says Angelo Hall, a 23 year old from the Bronx and a New York Cares volunteer. “It’s so easy to forget how much you really have.”New York Cares is the city’s largest volunteer organization, and registers over 53,000 volunteers a year. It is one of many in the city, offering countless opportunities for New Yorkers to do a good deed.Even for the city folk who are always in GO mode, there’s a great deal of flexibility when it comes to fitting a good will project into your schedule.  Most volunteer organizations offer projects after work hours and on weekends, making community service very volunteer friendly.“I usually do projects on Saturdays when I have free time and don’t want to be home, says Hall. "Last week I did a sports project with kids from KEEN that was a lot of fun. I just signed up to walk shelter dogs next Wednesday after work at BARC that I’m looking forward to.” BARC, Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition, is a no-kill animal shelter which provides a safe haven for cats and dogs while finding them permanent homes.The time is now. The holidays are upon us, and what better way to further the action of giving than to dedicate time to a good cause.  “A lot of folks don’t have anyone to share the holidays with,” says Liz Gordo, a CCNY Junior and volunteer service member.  “When someone volunteers a few hours of their day to keep a stranger’s company on Christmas, help with a soup kitchen, or help distribute stockings for children in foster homes, it matters a great deal.”It all boils down to this: If we are all willing to give by spending money on others, then why not give something that’s free of charge – your time! During times of need, sometimes one of the most important things remains, ironically, priceless.For more information go to New York Cares.