New York Cares: Love Brooklyn Day

Love Brooklyn Day

As I have stated in a previous post, I am a volunteer with New York Cares. & today was a special day, because it was "Love Brooklyn Day."

WHAT IS "Love Brooklyn Day?" It is a day of service designated to encourage others to take action and give back to the Brooklyn community.

I signed up for a project that involved taking children from Coney Island to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center.

I have always wanted to go to Top of the Rock, but had yet to go so I was pretty excited for this trip. :) There are only a few things that can beat being up 70 stories high with 360 degree views of New York City!

There were about 20 kids and 10 volunteers, so we paired up and each had two little buddies. We took a school bus from Coney Island to Rockefeller Center. Just like when I was their age and riding the bus, they were all excited to see who could ride at the back. My buddies ended up taking the seats at the very back, which of course meant I felt every bump the bus drove over for the duration of the trip. Haha! But the kids had great stories to tell, and I got to chat with other volunteers.

Admittedly, Top of the Rock may not be a perfect field trip for children. Our kiddos were excited and enjoyed being able to see NYC landmarks, like Central Park and the Empire State Building, from up high. However, this tourist attraction is not very interactive nor does it have a ton of things for kids to do so they got a little bored after awhile. But I am fairly certain that they still had a great time, maybe some more than others. They seemed to like comparing what they saw on a map to what they were seeing right in front of them.

It was cloudy today but the view was still pretty amazing. I look forward to going back one day and seeing how beautiful it looks at night with all the city lights.

Thank you New York Cares for always providing great opportunities to enrich the lives of others, as well as our own. We do not need a designated day to be able to give back, but days like today show us how fulfilling giving back can be. The day was not perfect, but seeing our kiddos smile and bringing them to places they have never been.. well, it is and will always be worth it.

If you are in the NYC area, visit www.newyorkcares.org to learn how you can give back and help make NYC a better place.