Now that you have each other, why not share, and expand, your love? New York and the tri-state area present many opportunities to volunteer your talents to help others. Whether you’re walking a dog, tutoring a child, or weeding in a community garden, volunteering can be a fun, rewarding way to spend time together, to discover and appreciate new mutual talents, and to enrich your perspective as well.

New York Theatre Ballet’s Lift Community Services
Diana Byer, director of the New York Theatre Ballet, auditions young children living in homeless shelters who might have an interest in ballet.

Extend your love to others, and watch it grow.

The program provides these children with scholarships for classes, as well as food, clothing, books and medical care. The children and their parents also receive family, educational and career counseling year-round.

Humane Society of New York
"For a young couple considering getting a pet down the line, volunteering at the shelter, even if it’s just for an hour, is an opportunity to see how much you really like interacting with dogs or cats and having the responsibility," says Susan Richmond of the Humane Society of New York.

"And if you do decide to adopt an animal here, you’ll be more prepared pet parents." Animal lovers can help to feed and give water to the cats or walk the shelter’s dogs.

You also can help at the various benefits and parties, or assist in the office with various clerical tasks.

To work with animals, contact Bonnie in adoptions 212-752-4840, ext. 229. For clerical work and/or events, call Susan Richmond at ext. 232.

New York Cares
If you’re not sure what type of volunteer work you’d like, or if you’d prefer a wide variety of activities without having to make a serious time commitment, New York Cares offers a calendar full of choices.

The organization arranges projects with hundreds of nonprofit organizations throughout the area, from homeless shelters and adult education programs to community gardens and elementary schools.

After attending a brief orientation, you receive a calendar of activities each month. Serve food in a soup kitchen. Wire a school for the Internet. Take a group of people with AIDS to a museum.

New York Cares also has larger events — Spring Cleanup Day, New York Cares Day, and the Coat Drive — for which you can sign up with your friends for a few hours of satisfying work. www.nycares.org 212.228.5000