Mayor Adams Keeps It Lit: City Hall, Municipal Buildings To Glow Orange For National Volunteer Month

 NYC Mayor Eric Adams today announced that City Hall and municipal buildings from Harlem to Hollis will be lit orange tonight for the 15^th anniversary of NYC’s designation as the first “City of Service.”

It’s in recognition of National Volunteer Month. The lighting of buildings across the five boroughs will honor the more than 1.5 million New York City residents that volunteer annually, underscoring the Adams administration’s commitment to serving New Yorkers in new and meaningful ways to ultimately advance its vision to protect public safety, rebuild the economy, and make the city more livable.

“The spirit of service is strong in New York City, and we are proud to recognize the acts of service — big and small — of the 1.5 million New Yorkers, and the dedicated community-based organizations that uplift volunteers and connect them to meaningful ways to make our city a safer, more livable place where everyone can succeed,” said Mayor Adams.

“Service and volunteerism are a core form of civic engagement that strengthens all communities. It is an honor to thank those who contribute their time and talent to make this city successful,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “NYC Service continues to champion the community and volunteers, and we thank them for uniting everyday New Yorkers.”

“The lights beaming across our city represent our gratitude for the 1.5 million New Yorkers who unite in service to uplift one another,” said NYC Service Chief Service Officer Laura Rog. “We are steadfast in our mission to provide meaningful access, opportunity, and resources for communities to come together and answer the call to serve New York City.”

In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up orange tonight at sundown:

• The Arsenal in Central Park: 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065
• Bronx Borough Hall: 851 Grand Concourse, 3rd Floor Bronx, New York 10451
• Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
• The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
• Gracie Mansion: East 88th Street & East End Avenue, New York, NY 10028
• Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
• Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301

Each year in New York City, there are approximately 3,500 active AmeriCorps members and more than 1.5 million people volunteering within their neighborhoods to deliver vital and urgent services. NYC Service focuses on engaging this force of volunteers and AmeriCorps members to create access to opportunities to serve, promote knowledge of how to approach service in practical and impactful ways, and bridge New Yorkers across all sectors to build a culture of service. 

New York City invited other major cities to join the celebration by lighting municipal buildings and bridges in recognition of volunteers and AmeriCorps members. Participating cities include Atlanta, Boston, and Memphis.

Since taking office, the Adams administration has continued to advance a culture of service in the five boroughs through efforts such as:  

• Increasing the number of service opportunities for New Yorkers to ensure everyone who wants to contribute to the city has a chance to serve and opportunities are easy to access and participate in.
• Providing effective and robust capacity building tools for the non-profit sector to build knowledge on engaging volunteers.
• Bridging sectors through convenings where social impact professionals can network and collaborate on priority initiatives impacting public safety, economic vitality, and livability. 

The NYC Service Strategic Plan has a full list of initiatives online for New Yorkers to engage with.