We attended a meeting yesterday hosted by the Gap at their New York offices to coordinate responses to the flood of New Yorkers wanting to volunteer. The growing numbers are in reaction to the likely passage of the Serve America Act and the already approved stimulus package, which included a big boost in funding for service and nonprofit organizations.
The meeting included representatives of the local corporate, philanthropic, nonprofit and government sectors who all have an interest in seeing New York takes advantage of this historic moment to help those in need during a tough time and to build lasting infrastructure better integrating service into the fabric of the city.
Kudos to the Gap for making this happen. It would be great to see this leadership replicated in other cities that are facing the same issues and opportunities even if on a smaller scale.
