The summer volunteer review

Posted by Calvin on August 26, 2010 under Partnerships, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

With the summer nearing an end, it’s time to acknowledge some of The Doe Fund’s most ardent supporters: our dedicated volunteer base! During the summer months, we were fortunate to have the help of over 100 individual volunteers, plus over a dozen groups. Ongoing partners – including Barclays, HSBC, and Morgan Stanley – brought their enthusiasm and experience to mock interviews and resume building events. Goldman Sachs joined us for their annual Career Day event as part of their Community Teamworks volunteer initiative. The event featured roundtable discussions designed to equip our trainees for a successful job search. We also had the pleasure of working with new groups, such as Christie’s, John Jay College, and Wells Fargo, a group that came to us through our relationship with Robin Hood. They also arranged our final corporate volunteer group of the summer, Redburn, which will help our guys out next Wednesday with fine-tuning their resumes. Thanks to all our volunteers for giving generously of their time and expertise!

Ethan Hawke on the “men in blue”

Posted by Calvin on July 29, 2010 under News, Partnerships | Read the First Comment

The Doe Fund is delighted to recognize Ethan Hawke as our 2010 Gala Honoree on October 28th at Cipriani 42nd Street. Hawke, a supporter of ours since we first began, recently shared his insights on Ready, Willing & Able and the “men in blue” with Variety Magazine. In the article he also credits his mother, Leslie Hawke, who not only introduced Ethan to The Doe Fund, but even adapted our Ready, Willing & Able program model in Romania to help mothers with at-risk children to find and retain employment and better manage their families. Ethan had this to say about the “men in blue”:

“I realized that men and women have been struggling to get along for eternity. You think your situation is so unique, but we have so much to learn from each other. I was really humbled by what these guys have to recover from.”

Read the entire article here

Camp Robin Hood

Posted by Calvin on July 7, 2010 under Partnerships, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

Camp Robin Hood is not your typical summer camp. Every year it features one-week sessions in the month of June designed to engage teens whose families are involved with Robin Hood and introduce them to the work of the Robin Hood Foundation’s grant recipients through meaningful volunteer activities. Robin Hood supports more than 200 poverty-fighting organizations – including shelters, soup kitchens, job training programs, schools, health clinics, and other groups. Camp Robin Hood combines education on poverty issues, hands-on volunteering, and opportunities to hear the personal stories of program participants. The Doe Fund is fortunate to have the extraordinary support of the Foundation and we’re also delighted to participate in Camp Robin Hood every summer. This year, we hosted a group of teens who met with our Ready, Willing & Able trainees and worked side by side with them in our Community Improvement Project. Participants noted several event highlights, including talking with the trainees, hearing their stories, having lunch together, and cleaning the streets with the “men in blue.”

Community partner spotlight: Carnegie Hill CSA

Posted by Calvin on June 22, 2010 under Partnerships | Be the First to Comment

The summer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) season is in full swing in New York City, and the Carnegie Hill CSA, a supporter since 1999, is once again teaming up with The Doe Fund. The Carnegie Hill CSA is a volunteer-operated partnership between Stonehedge Farm and several hundred member families in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester and Greene Counties. The CSA generously provides free, organic produce for Ready, Willing & Able’s (RWA) food services, which prepares three nutritious meals a day for the “men in blue.” At closing time of every weekly pickup – held at the Church of the Heavenly Rest – The Doe Fund receives all vegetables that are still left, ensuring that nothing is wasted. Additionally, we receive honey from Stonehedge Farm every Thanksgiving. One of the highlights of our partnership was the collaboration of our Culinary Arts team and the CSA for a published cookbook, Recipes from America’s Small Farms (Random House Villard Press). A special thank-you goes out to our friends at the Carnegie Hill CSA!

Doe Fund volunteers share their “Blank”

Posted by Maire on May 28, 2010 under Partnerships | Be the First to Comment

The Doe Fund is thrilled be to partnering with NYC Service to enhance our volunteer programs.  In the past year, we have seen an enormous increase in the number of New Yorkers who offer their time and expertise to support the “men in blue.”  Read about how our NYC Civic Corps members are utilizing volunteers to make Ready, Willing & Able stronger than ever, and how they have been personally affected by their experience:

Increased volunteer engagement has given community members the opportunity to meet these wonderful men. The response is inevitably the same from both the clients and volunteers: “I didn’t know what to expect before I met you, but you’re just like me.”

Learn more about the great work The Doe Fund’s Civic Corps members are doing.

Harriet and George McDonald honored by Hobart William Smith Colleges

Posted by Maire on May 20, 2010 under Partnerships | Be the First to Comment

On Saturday, May 15^th, Doe Fund Founder and President George McDonald and Executive Vice President Harriet Karr-McDonald were awarded honorary degrees from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  The degrees were given in recognition of George and Harriet’s years of public service to making New York a cleaner, safer, and more equitable place. 

In his acceptance speech, George described how his faith in humanity inspired him to start The Doe Fund: “I knew that the homeless folks sleeping on subways and benches could lift themselves up out of poverty, but they couldn’t do it alone.  They needed a real second chance at life, and they needed others to believe in them.”

Harriet spoke of the importance of living a life dedicated to helping others.  “At every step of the way,” she said, “what we all need most to be is a voice for those who are not heard, and a catalyst for change to get others to listen.”

Click here to read more about this prestigious honor.
 To read more about Doe’s partnership with Hobart and William Smith Colleges, click here.

Volunteerism and more

Posted by Ken on May 13, 2010 under Partnerships | Be the First to Comment

In addition to his excellent work promoting civic engagement and volunteerism in New York, Ben, one of our committed NYC Civic Corps volunteers, has lent support to The Doe Fund in many other ways.  Ben makes it a point to speak at orientation classes with men who’ve just joined Ready, Willing & Able.   He also operates the computer lab at the Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity, helping trainees set up email accounts and providing instruction whenever needed.  Throughout his time at The Doe Fund, Ben has continually demonstrated his dedication to our mission and that of the NYC Civic Corps.  “It has really been a positive experience for me,” and we are happy to have him with us.

Corporate spotlight: Ruchi Pinniger from Credit Suisse

Posted by Calvin on March 29, 2010 under Partnerships | Be the First to Comment

The Doe Fund is fortunate to partner with thousands of supporters who donate their time, energy, and financial resources to help further our mission. Ruchi Pinniger is one of them. She has helped us mobilize over a hundred volunteers through her employer, Credit Suisse. Thanks to her assistance, Credit Suisse is also one of our steadfast corporate donors. Recently, we asked Ruchi to shed light on her Doe Fund experience.

How did you first get involved with The Doe Fund?
My interest in The Doe Fund was ultimately piqued by the “men in blue” who were always working so enthusiastically while cleaning the streets in my neighborhood. Once I found out that these men were participants in the Ready, Willing & Able program of The Doe Fund, I made sure to introduce myself to representatives from the organization when Credit Suisse sponsored an event for the Fund several years ago. Since then, I have strived to dedicate my own time, while also spreading the word about the “men in blue” to my friends and colleagues.

You’ve arranged several volunteer events through Credit Suisse. How do you manage to consistently put together terrific volunteer groups every time?
Ultimately, it’s not about me but about the willingness of my colleagues to volunteer their time and energy for a great organization. The appreciation of The Doe Fund trainees and staff is what brings us back so often. I want to highlight people like Andy Wong, Bill Eng, Ryan Kartick, Mu-jen Wu and Margaret Corcoran who, among others, have actively participated in the events and have been great advocates for the program.

Your enthusiasm for the trainees and for volunteer events like mock interviews is contagious. What goes through your mind when you’re at a mock interview?
The trainees have an infectious energy which has an incredible effect on me. Every time I work with a new trainee at a mock interview, I learn a little bit more about applying commitment and resilience to every endeavor in life. After our events, all of the Credit Suisse volunteers tell me how much the determination of the trainees has inspired them personally.

Tell us a little bit about the culture of volunteerism at Credit Suisse.
Credit Suisse strongly encourages participation in community activities. The culture at Credit Suisse stresses improving the communities in which we live and work. The firm places its philanthropic focus on organizations where Credit Suisse employees are personally engaged. This makes employees partners in the corporate funding process and gives us the freedom to choose the causes where we want to be involved.

What has been your most memorable Doe Fund experience?
My most memorable experience has not been just one event, but happens annually at graduation when the men celebrate the culmination of their training and their re-entry into the workforce. I love experiencing the excitement in the room from the pride that each individual feels after overcoming tremendous challenges and building a second chance for themselves.

Volunteers lend their expertise on volunteerism

Posted by Ken on March 10, 2010 under Partnerships | 2 Comments to Read

On September 11, 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama delivered a “Call to Service” speech which encouraged the American people to participate in socially transformative initiatives and “come together to shape the course of history.” 

Less than a year later, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch the NYC Civic Corps.  Among the 193 AmeriCorps VISTA members who were sworn in, several came to join The Doe Fund family.

Two in particular, Dana Perry and Christopher Tran, have focused their efforts on volunteer recruitment at The Doe Fund.  In a relatively short time, they have completely overhauled the way we engage with volunteers interested in getting more involved with Ready, Willing & Able.  With their leadership, we now have more tutors, extended computer lab hours, and additional support for trainees in Job Search.  Their commitment to both service and our mission to end homelessness and criminal recidivism has reinvigorated The Doe Fund’s volunteer initiatives program. 

“The impact the VISTA’s have had on our organization has been nothing short of incredible.  They turn their interest into tangible improvements and expansions to the services we offer the ‘men in blue.’”

 – Maire O’Malley, Major Gifts Liaison & Volunteer Coordinator

“Our VISTA volunteers from Americorps are a hardworking, dedicated bunch. But what I’ve been most impressed by is their ability to hone the structures of several of our volunteer events and to create an orientation program for our volunteers from scratch.”

– Calvin Lai, Manager of Foundation and Corporate Giving

Muffins and the Men in Blue

Posted by Calvin on September 21, 2009 under Partnerships, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

Last Tuesday, The Doe Fund had a wonderful turnout for its Employer Networking Breakfast at the Harvard Club of New York City.  The event brought together dozens of companies that have hired our graduates, as well as prospective employers, Doe Fund supporters, and staff.  Memorial Sloan-Kettering received a special award for its partnership in hiring RWA graduates.  But the highlight of the morning was RWA graduate Alqawi Saadiq’s remarks, which led to a standing ovation.