The Mayoral Service Recognition Program brings New Yorkers together each year to celebrate the power of service. This annual event honors volunteers and service members who build a culture of service, use service as a solution to community challenges, and answer the call to serve to ensure the success of our fellow New Yorkers. Held during National Volunteer Month in April, the program shines a spotlight on the outstanding and diverse volunteer efforts of the previous calendar year.
Nancy has transformed school wellness by empowering educators, chefs, and policymakers to rethink food and fitness in schools. She co-founded Wellness in the Schools (WITS) in 2005 to ensure healthy, delicious meals and active play for over a million students nationwide — including all NYC public schools. She immerses herself in the work WITS does by mentoring chefs, coaches, and school administrators along with using her influence to enact citywide and national reform such as the Chefs in the Schools initiative.
During her AmeriCorps VISTA service term, Rina noticed a gap in literacy resources across New York City. As a response, she founded Start Lighthouse with a Literacy Hub initiative that serves 2,100 students in underserved communities, providing diverse books, interventions, and family engagement to boost academic performance and literacy.
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Every Day is a Miracle (EDM) fights food insecurity in the Bronx, providing 21.3M meals since 2008. EDM serves 4,568 families monthly and offers social services like benefits assessments, job referrals, and housing support. It operates in four locations, including three Title I schools where their Mobile Food Distributions bring food and nutrition education directly to families. They have other volunteer-led initiatives including their Homebound Meal Deliveries Program, Adult Enrichment Program, and Social Services Referral Program.
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Morgan Stanley and New York Edge launched a six-week Coding Club at PS 78 in Queens, aimed at fostering STEM opportunities for middle school students and addressing educational gaps in under-resourced communities. Morgan Stanley employee volunteers taught students programming fundamentals using accessible tools like Scratch and imagiCharm. To conclude the program, students were invited to an end-of-semester celebration where they showcased their projects and explored careers in technology.
The group created “Bridging the Gap,” a program to address violence between youth and police in downtown Brooklyn. After educational sessions and a field day with 130+ officers and youth, students’ feelings of safety around law enforcement increased by 54%.
| Spirit of the City Award Finalists | AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award Finalists | Community Impact Award Finalists | Partnership Impact Award Finalists | Youth Impact Award Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candace Aguirre Holley | Cynthia Bonilla | Part of the Solution | Bombas & City Relief | Voluntas Juvenium |
| Debbine Murray | Doria Josma | Expecting Relief | Global Atlantic & StreetWise Partners | Aria Garcia |
| Briana Calderon Navarro | Louis Muamba | Baitun Noor Masjid | MBD Community Housing Corp. & PATHHSEO | Avery Mak |
Read our full press release to learn more
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Service Impact Awards | People of NYC's Choice
Honor extraordinary contributions to NYC!
Impact Awards honor organizations, businesses, volunteers, and AmeriCorps alumni who have dedicated themselves to service, and strengthened communities with people power in the 2024 calendar year. Awardees are invited to the Mayoral Service Recognition Program celebration, receive a cash prize, and are recognized at the awards ceremony in April. Here are the five award categories:
Certificates of Recognition
Celebrate volunteerism and service in 2024!
NYC Service issues Mayoral Service Recognition Certificates to honor New York City based organizations and nonprofits (including city agencies) that have engaged volunteers, the organization’s volunteers, and New York City based businesses that have engaged employees in volunteerism. Organizations may also request certificates for individual volunteers who have completed 50 or more hours in the 2024 calendar year.
Questions?
For any other questions, contact our team at recognition@cityhall.nyc.gov for support.
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