NYU Wagner’s 7th Annual Day of Service
During the spring semester, NYU Wagner students across the country came together to participate in the annual WagnerCares Day of Service. In addition to service projects in New York City, alumni in the Bay Area, Washington DC, and Los Angeles participated in a day meant for the NYU Wagner community to contribute their time to the communities in which they work and live. Below is a breakdown of the day’s activities from coast to coast.
The Bay Area alumni group worked together to prepare bagged lunches that were distributed to the homeless and hungry in San Francisco with the GLIDE organization. GLIDE fosters a radically inclusive community that aims to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization by providing food, housing assistance, healthcare, and family services to those most in need.
In Los Angeles, members of the alumni group volunteered with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to prepare food packages for 27,000 low-income seniors, women with infants, and children throughout Los Angeles County.
The Washington, DC alumni group joined the Potomac Conservancy and National Park Service with their beautification projects by removing waste from Theodore Roosevelt Island in Arlington and participating in a community 5K run. The Potomac Conservancy is a leading clean water advocate, fighting to ensure the Potomac River boasts clean drinking water, healthy lands, and safe access for vibrant communities.
Within New York City, over 70 students, alumni, and staff came out to serve their communities. This year’s sites included an array of organizations and service projects:
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Achilles International: Volunteers helped the organization further its mission of empowering people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics.
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City Meals on Wheels: Volunteers delivered meals enabling older people to maintain independent living with safety and dignity.
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Father’s Heart Ministries and Grow NYC: Volunteers placed soil, cleaned streets, and painted decaying infrastructure.
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Lower East Side Ecology Center and the New Women New Yorker: Volunteers conducted outreach work in Astoria.
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Red Hook Farms: Volunteers rotated compost, planted trees, and cleaned up in preparation for the spring planting season.
“The Wagner Day of Service brings people together and introduces us to our communities,” reflected one participant.
Another volunteer said, “I connected with a group of individuals I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to meet, and it was beautiful. It was fun to get outside my comfort zone, experience different perspectives, and make new friends.”
The annual WagnerCares Day of Service is a direct reflection of the mission and goals of NYU Wagner. Students find meaning in coming together to serve the public and make a positive impact in their local communities.