City Year is a non-profit organization that provides service to children in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the nation by teaching, tutoring and mentoring youth. Its overall goal is to “promote the concept of national service as a means of building a stronger democracy,” as stated in the organization’s mission statement.
Renee DiPietro, a 2003 graduate of Cabrini, is volunteering full time at City Year’s Philadelphia site for this year’s service cycle of 10 months. She works with middle school children in Northeast Philadelphia.
“City Year is a good thing to become involved in because as much as you struggle through your daily challenges, you learn and can see the success as well,” DiPietro said.
DiPietro first became involved when she talked with another Cabrini graduate, Corey Salazar, while he presented at a volunteer job fair at Cabrini. DiPietro and Salazar participated in one of the biggest service days for City Year Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 26, with their Philadelphia core of 150 members. The service day, called “Serve-a-thon,” recruited some 500 volunteers from the Philadelphia community and other non-profit organizations to help put the finishing touches on the Lonnie Young Recreational Center in North Philadelphia. The center is due to reopen November 1, 2003.
“This event was such a good day. It was not only a great learning experience, but at the end of the day it was the best tired I ever felt, I went home and really felt like I did something that day” DiPietro said.
City Year’s vision is that one day; the most commonly asked question of a young person will be, “Where are you going to do your service year?”
Posted to the web by: Cecelia Francisco
