Ten Things You Can Do to Have Fun and Make a Difference in NYC

1. NYC & Company provides info on great event values in all boroughs. Call 212-484-1200 or visit www.nycvisit.com.

2. The NYC Sports Commission offers info on sports leagues, associations and venues: 877-NYC-SPORTS or visit them at www.nyc.gov/html/sports/html/home.html.

3. The New York Botanical Gardens is free every Wednesday all day for garden grounds and every Saturday from 10-12 noon. There's an extra charge for conservatory and tours: 718-817-8000 and www.nybg.org.
   Advertisement
4. The NYC Parks & Recreation Green Thumb Program at 212-788-8070 or www.greenthumbnyc.org offers info on urban outdoor experiences.

5. The Green Guerillas can tell you how to become involved in community garden in your neighborhood: 212-594-2155 x3 and www.greenguerillas.org.

6. The ASPCA can give you info about adoption of pets. Most shelters have fees to cover vaccinations and spaying or neutering. Contact 212-876-7700 and www.aspca.org and www.petfinders.org.

7. The Mayor's Community Assistance Unit oversees 59 Community Boards and can help you get involved with your community. On the Web site look for the Community Assistance Unit that gives listings of community boards, meetings, street fairs, and neighborhood fairs activities; more info 212-788-7418 and www.nyc.gov.

8. Learning Leaders has volunteer programs for elementary, middle and high school. Ask for recruitment or check neighborhood schools for the LL program. For more info call 212-213-3370 or visit www.learningleaders.org.

9. The NYC Public Library Centers for Reading and Writing offers volunteer programs for adult literacy. All borough centers list where prospective tutors can register with specific site addresses and phone contacts. See www.nypl.org/branch/literacy/local/crw/.

10. The NYC Paratransit Access-A-Ride Program can help seniors and people with disabilities get to all of these great places with door-to-door pickup and drop-off (you must meet eligibility requirements). Call 877-337-2017.

Antoinette-Marie Williams is a Body Positive volunteer and an activist on the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities.

---

This article was provided by Body Positive. It is a part of the publication Ten Simple Things You Can Do ....

Ten Things You Can Do to Enhance Your Emotional Well-Being Big Deal: Offering Advice to a Friend Who Tests Positive Read More About Coping With HIV