This year’s National Conference, themed It’s Up To You! as a tribute to the legendary Frank Sinatra song “New York, New York”, was a call to action for each of us! New York was proud to serve as the host State for the largest gathering of more than 5,400 members of national service programs, community volunteer organizations, and industry leaders in the world! New Yorkers Volunteer and the State Commission on National and Community Service were thrilled that more than 1,100 attendees represented national service programs and community volunteer organizations across New York State!

More than 5,000 conference attendees attended the Opening Plenary: It’s Up To You and an evening recognition celebration that recognized leadership volunteers around the nation and special Broadway Show presentations from West Side Story, Million Dollar Quartet, and The Heights.

We truly hope those who attended were able to share innovative ideas, learn new skills, obtain practical tools and creative solutions, share best practices and cutting-edge technology, and be exposed to inspirational models from around the country!

There were several opportunities for recognition for those who go above and beyond within the volunteer and community service sector. In particular, the following awards were presented at the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s Heart of Service Awards Luncheon at the Manhattan landmark, the Plaza Hotel.

MTVNews Correspondent Sway emceed the 2010 NCVS (Learn and Serve America) Youth Forum at MTV. It was an evening of celebration and discussion, with: The Buried Life’s Ben Nemtin, NY Youth Poet Laureate Zora Howard, Usher’s New Look representative Nyea Garner, Whitney Port formerly of The Hills, and former first daughter Barbara Bush leading a discussion about the power of youth service. There also was a surprise appearance by Landon Donovan of US Soccer!

• Harris Wofford, former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service received the 2010 Pathfinders to Peace Award presented by Shinnyo-en Foundation.
• New York State’s First Lady, Michelle Paige Paterson was honored with the Daily Points of Light Award for her Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge initiative, which encourages healthy eating and daily exercise in New York’s schools.
• First Lady Paterson also presented the inaugural Governor’s ROSE Award in Recognition Of Service Excellence to two New York State recipients. The Governor’s ROSE Award is presented to individuals and public, private, or government entities that display leadership and ingenuity to advance volunteering and service initiatives in the State of New York. This year, the Rochester AmeriCorps Program of Monroe Community College and United Way Volunteer Center of Westchester and Putnam Counties were the award recipients (Click HERE to read the press release).
• The New York Mets, in conjunction with Citi, New Yorkers Volunteer, and New York City, launched the "Teammates in the Community Week," a series of initiatives designed to foster the spirit of volunteerism and service in their hometown. During "Teammates in the Community Week", Mets Ownership, players and front-office executives participated in a series of diverse community outreach initiatives culminating in a Service Day at Citi Field on June 27. Watch more about Teammates in the Community.

(L/R) Ike Davis – New York Mets; Susan Stern - Chair, New York State Commission on National & Community Service; Mark Walter – Executive Director, New Yorkers Volunteer; Michelle Nunn – CEO, Points of Light Institute; Bill Brown – Executive VP of Citibank NA; Patrick Corvington – CEO, Corporation for National & Community Service; Diahann Billings-Burford – Chief Service Officer, NYC Service; Mike Pelfry, New York Mets; Suzanne Aisenberg – New York State Commission On National & Community Service.

We encourage you to visit the National Conference website at www.volunteeringandservice.org for more details, photos and video of this historic event! You’ll also find information about the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service June 6-8 in New Orleans, LA!