Community Story
Annie Cofone, Gramercy Thrift Store Volunteer
Moving to New York City is never a straight line — or if it is, say like moving from Bloomington, IN straight to lower Manhattan, the small matter of culture shock and anonymity could be a bit daunting.
My way from the suburbs of Eastern Long Island to the East Village was a bit of a zigzag — Bloomington to Boston with sidebars to London and Prague; some of these could be relative training ground for an assault on Manhattan. Certainly the stay in Eastern Europe was a prep for the authentic (and incredible) pierogies that abound in nearby shops. But to some extent, I’m not sure anywhere else could steel the soul for a stay in area code 212. Having an enclave of friends and family was helpful, but the grating cliché to find a place – my place, my space – in NYC was wearing on me.
I had the relief of a completed thesis and the burdens of an entirely new research endeavor: Adjusting. The rituals of day-to-day sorting takes time – choosing a laundromat, a gym, a fruit cart on the walk to work. After a few weeks these patterns took their place, and it was better… but not familiar. A few months prior I had randomly signed up for a Twitter account to follow events, but was somehow linked to following obscure celebrities. Killing time waiting for a train, I scrolled through the updates and noticed a mention for volunteermatch.org, a resource for organizations in search of volunteers nationwide. I began sifting through the pages of postings in the NY-area alone, and the one that stood out: Housing Works’ Gramercy Store, an auction for 19th Century Art Prints.
The directions were simple: show up; and when I arrived, uncertain what to expect, the staff was nothing short of warm and welcoming. The evening itself was phenomenal too; volunteers helped set up, greet guests, pass drinks and, later, an opportunity to watch the auction (which inevitably raised nearly $40,000). I walked home that night with the unshakable feeling that I’d just experienced exactly what I’d been hoping for, maybe even surpassing it. Not only had I been in great company, but I realized I’d stepped into another tier of self-awareness; that this was what my NY life could be. Since then, volunteering for Housing Works has become something of a respite – a relief from the banal work routine – but better than that. It’s fun to be a part of. Housing Works is as successful as it is because of the community it cultivates; it draws talented people that want to make a difference in the lives of homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, and raises awareness on this cause each day. It’s been immensely rewarding to get to know the HW staff and volunteers – I’ve learned so much, often see familiar faces, and friendships have been made. So one year since moving to the city, life adjusted, with the added bonus of knowing there are always opportunities to make any city your own. And finally, I think it is.
