June 28, 2010 -- New York, NY -- The Volunteer Center of United Way (www.volunteer-center.org) received high honors today as one of only two organizations in the State of New York to receive the Governor's Recognition Of Service Excellence (ROSE) Award. The Governor's ROSE Award recognizes individuals or organizations in the State of New York displaying leadership, compassion, and ingenuity to advance volunteering and service initiatives. This is the first year the Governor's ROSE - which is also the State Flower of New York -- was presented.   

"The Volunteer Center is a remarkable catalyst -- building strong bridges between local corporations and community organizations -- while truly innovating when it comes to harnessing volunteers to address identified community needs," said Mark J. Walter, Executive Director, New Yorker's Volunteer, State Commission on National and Community Service. "We applaud The Volunteer Center's continued growth and success, and see them as a model program for other volunteer organizations in the state and around the country."  

 

Accepting the Governor's ROSE Award from First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson from The Volunteer Center of United Way were Alisa Kesten, Current Executive Director, Joanna Straub, past Executive Director, Susan Russ, immediate past Chair, and Doug Rogers, Current Chair .    "We are honored and humbled by this award for our efforts at connecting volunteers with nonprofits and we are particularly proud of our creative collaborations with local partners to solve community issues," said Ms. Kesten.  "As volunteerism and service have gained greater support nationally, our programs in Westchester and Putnam counties have experienced considerable expansion -- with new volunteer recruits up 21% and new volunteer opportunities increased by 64% over the previous year."

 

The recognition ceremony was part of the Heart of Service Awards luncheon held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, on the opening day of the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service -- convened by the Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service.  This year has the largest conference attendance in history and local conveners are The New York State Commission on National and Community Service-New Yorkers Volunteer and NYC Service.

 

About The Volunteer Center: Over the past 60 years, The Volunteer Center has evolved to meet the changing needs in our community, creating initiatives in collaboration with the business community, expanding services to engage volunteers of all ages, and expanding its online outreach to make it even easier for people to get connected.  During the past year alone, The Volunteer Center engaged 15,000 volunteers in Westchester and Putnam counties who contributed over 283,000 hours of service valued at almost $8 million.

 

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