Volunteer
Thank you for your interest in donating your time, skills, and energy to ABC’s children. We have a variety of volunteer opportunities, with different schedules and responsibilities to fit your routine and interests. Once you have reviewed the information and selected the program(s) for which you would like to be a volunteer, feel free to contact the relevant volunteer site coordinator directly or reach out to us here.
Early Childhood
Cassidy’s Place, Merricat’s Castle School, Keith Haring School, Graham School, and Cody Gifford House offer opportunities to work with young children in ABC’s early childhood education programs. Volunteers assist classroom teachers by working directly with children under their supervision. Their primary responsibility is to play with the children (the best and most joyful job of all!). Other duties vary depending on the needs of the classrooms. For example, in ABC’s infant programs, volunteers may be needed to hold, feed, and sing to the children. In toddler and preschool classrooms, volunteers may be asked to help with storytelling, reading, painting, arts and crafts, and supervising the children as they enjoy free play in one of ABC’s outdoor playgrounds. Staff work closely with volunteers encouraging them to take part in as many activities as they feel comfortable undertaking.
At a minimum, volunteers should be high-school aged. Volunteers who are 18 and above are required to submit an up-to-date health form and complete a state mandated background check which includes fingerprinting. COVID vaccinations are required.
Cassidy’s Place
Location: 419 East 86th Street
Contact: Brenda Viloria, bviloria@a-b-c.org, 212 845 3891
Schedule: Year-round, 9am - 6pm
Cody Gifford House
Location: 404 East 91st Street
Contact: Chrissy Zaccario Miller, czaccario@a-b-c.org, 212 369 2010 x 302
Schedule: Year-round, 9am - 3pm
Graham School
Location: 1841 Park Avenue
Contact: MaryEllen Rooney, mrooney@a-b-c.org, 646 459 6091
Schedule: Year-round, 8am - 5:30pm
Keith Haring School
Location: 318 East 116th Street
Contact: Christina Gould, cgould@a-b-c.org, 212 426 3960 x 1
Schedule: Year-round, 9am - 3pm
Merricat’s
Location: 316 East 88th Street
Contact: Linda Wosczyk, lwosczyk@a-b-c.org, 212 534 3656
Schedule: September to June, 9:15am - 11:45am & 12:45pm - 3:15pm
Youth Services
Afterschool and Camp Calvin
Volunteers work beside skilled youth workers, family specialists, and educators to create a safe and stimulating space where children are motivated to develop the academic skills and emotional strengths necessary for success in the classroom and in life. Day to day volunteer tasks could include providing homework help, teaching a new skill, or participating in scheduled activities. Every summer, we invite 17-year-old volunteers to act as camp counselors.
At a minimum, volunteers should be high-school aged. Volunteers who are 18 and above are required to submit an up-to-date health form and complete a state mandated background check which includes fingerprinting. COVID vaccinations are required.
Afterschool | Camp Calvin
Location: 1841 Park Avenue
Contact: DeYan McCarthy, dmccarthy@a-b-c.org, 212 845 3852
Afterschool Schedule: September - June, 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Camp Calvin Schedule: July and August, 8am - 3pm
Study Buddies Connect
Study Buddies Connect (SBC) is a virtual tutoring program that offers individualized tutoring sessions in math and English to school-aged children. Volunteer tutors teach children online at a designated time each week, and they receive curricular support from SBC staff members. We ask volunteers to make a year-long commitment to tutoring one hour per week (either one 1-hour session or two 30-minute sessions) so we can minimize interruptions to our children's education. There will be an interview and training process for new volunteers. This summer, we are also looking for in-person high school volunteers.
Study Buddies Connect
Location: Virtual and 1841 Park Avenue
Contact: Guadalupe Nufio, gnufio@a-b-c.org
Schedule: Agreed on by the buddy pair, usually weekday evenings and weekends.
Bunny’s Garden
ABC’s community garden is a space that provides children and families with an urban oasis in which to grow their own food, learn about healthy eating habits, and explore nature. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and upkeep, planting, harvesting, and composting (Wednesdays 10am – 1pm).
At a minimum, volunteers should be high-school aged, but younger groups can be accommodated with adult supervisors. Volunteers who are 18 and above are required to submit an up-to-date health form and complete a state mandated background check which includes fingerprinting. COVID vaccinations are required.
Bunny’s Garden
Location: 236-242 East 124th Street
Contacts: Kimberly Bello, kbello@a-b-c.org
Jessica Casanova, jcasanova@a-b-c.org
Schedule: Year-round, weekdays and weekends, exact times to be scheduled with program staff.
Corporate Volunteering
ABC welcomes volunteer groups from corporations, schools, churches, temples, mosques, and other organizations. Projects can be created for your volunteers to work directly with the preschool aged children in ABC’s early childhood programs or the school-aged children in our youth program. Please let us know the date and the time of day your group is considering, how large a group you are, and if there might be funding available to cover the costs of the project.
Bespoke Events
Contact: Judy Holtzman, jholtzman@a-b-c.org, 212 845 3823
Schedule: We can accommodate events at most times of year, except the last two weeks of August (summer break).
