The Mayoral Service Recognition Program is an annual citywide celebration of volunteers and service members, recognizing efforts to 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. The annual recognition program is a month-long celebration during National Volunteer Month in April and celebrates the diverse volunteer efforts of the previous calendar year.
Impact Awards
Impact Awards honor organizations, businesses, volunteers, and AmeriCorps alumni who have dedicated themselves to service, and strengthened communities with people power in the 2023 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. The cash awards are made possible due to a generous donation from the Fund for the City of New York.
Here are the finalist nominees for this year's 2024 Mayoral Service Recognition Awards:
Spirit of the City Award
Honors an individual (21 or over) whose exceptional volunteer or service work has positively impacted their community and inspires those around them to take action.
Annabel Amir: Annabel Amir voluntarily co-founded and developed the Youth Mental Health Program at the American Central Asian Association, designed to fight isolation with group therapy sessions connecting peers with similar identities, boosting their mental health and ability to integrate.
Ilze Thielmann: Ilze Thielmann, volunteer director of Team TLC NYC (a Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden, Inc. group), created the Little Shop of Kindness, a free shop for migrants providing basic necessities, legal assistance, referral services, and more.
Jamel Holmes: Jamel Holmes organized other volunteers to donate and provide food including over 100 turkeys and clothing to families facing hardship during Thanksgiving in the Bronx under his volunteer-run organization The Holmes Experience.
AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award
Honors an AmeriCorps alum who has continued to embody the AmeriCorps spirit of "Getting Things Done" in New York City communities beyond their service year.
Sofia Rinvil: An AmeriCorps VISTA alum, Sofia directly applied the capacity-building skills gained during her service term to her work with MBI Resources. In her role, Sofia focuses on research and outreach for an online search and referral platform called my.bronximpact.org to promote health, workforce training, and food access.
Alibamba Sillah: An AmeriCorps State and National alum, Alibamba has helped mobilize and engage residents to participate in the Bamba Sports programs, a nonprofit which hosts annual soccer tournaments that focus on which focus on empowering low-income inner-city youth in the community, fostering positive community engagement.
Community Impact Award
Honors an organization that leverages the power of volunteers in innovative and resourceful ways to strategically address City or community needs.
East New York Farms!: East New York Farms! recruits and organizes volunteers to support urban agriculture and food justice by assisting community gardeners and farmers in East New York, Brooklyn. Volunteers maintain and beautify the greenspace while increasing community safety and food sovereignty through increased crop production for fresh produce distributions and farmers' markets.
Literacy Partners: Literacy Partners' English for Parents program is an immersive English learning experience made specifically for parents. Volunteers facilitate discussions or offer 1-on-1 support to foster moments of connection that increase parent-child bonding and help parents read with their children more often.
Culture Lab LIC: Culture Lab LIC’s volunteer-driven project "Art for All" provided community-accessible, cultural experiences through a series of inclusive art workshops and exhibitions. Volunteers collaborated with artists to develop free programming in accessible locations catering to varying skill levels and interests, seeking to democratize access to artistic expression.
Partnership Impact Award
Honors an innovative organization and business partnership that came together in service to a community.
UPS & New York Cares: UPS and New York Cares collaborated to distribute over 70,000 coats this year in service of thousands of individuals, particularly those experiencing homelessness or living in poverty.
Macquarie Group Limited & Team Kids: The partnership between Macquarie Group and Team Kids supports a 5-week youth leadership program, staffed by Team Kids and NYPD & FDNY trained mentors, empowering youth to volunteer.
Standard Chartered Bank & Zahn Innovation Center at the City College of New York: The Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator program at the City College of New York's Zahn Innovation Center supports gender diversity in entrepreneurship and the technology sector.
Youth Impact Award
Honors an individual young person or group of youth who have had a tangible impact in their community.
Clinton School Youth Group: The school's Rescuing Leftover Cuisine group rescued excess food from businesses and restaurants, taking them to rehab shelters and food kitchens. They led 90+ food rescues, rescued 6,100+ pounds, and served 5,083+ meals, relieving hunger & reducing emissions.
Fatima Osman: Fatima Osman promoted a park cleanup in Corona, Queens which led to over 100 pounds of trash being removed from park grounds. She supported communications and logistics for the cleanup, promoting green space preservation.
Alexia Bakyt: Alexia Bakyt initiated Student Support Services at the American Central Asian Association, empowering youth in 25 families through a range of services, such as education system navigation, coat drives, and providing tutoring and college application guidance.
Stay tuned for the winners! They will be made public at the Mayoral Service Recognition Ceremony on April 25th.
Click this link for other Mayoral recognition opportunities.
Questions about the Mayoral Service Recognition Program? Contact our team at recognition@cityhall.nyc.gov.
2023 Mayoral Service Recognition Program
Watch 2023 Ceremony
Press
Read the Press Release from City Hall: Mayor Adams Recognizes Impact of Volunteerism and Service in New York City.
Read coverage from Major League Baseball: Mayor honors Yankees for service to community.
Read from BKReader: The City Awards Bed-Stuy Nonprofit for Work with Families Impacted by Incarceration.
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