Last fall, Citi raised the bar in the field of corporate citizenship by holding the largest single-day volunteer event in history. On November 17th, Citi held its 2nd Annual Global Community Day (GCD), engaging more than 50,000 employees worldwide in service in one day. New York Cares was proud to partner with Citi in planning GCD in New York City.

This year, Citi's goal in the city was to create a long-lasting and holistic impact on the schools and communities at which volunteers worked. So together we planned projects for 1,000 employees, concentrating their efforts in five New York City public schools in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Citi volunteers painted murals to brighten up corridors and classrooms; painted line games to give inner city kids something extra to enjoy during recess; and worked with children reading stories, making models, learning poetry and dance, and even took them on a trip to a museum.

Some employees brought their families as a way of teaching their kids about the importance of giving back. As one Citi volunteer told us, "This is a nice way for me to spend quality time with my daughters -- at the same time hopefully instilling in them the importance of thinking about others and helping people less fortunate than themselves."

As a dedicated and generous sponsor of New York Cares' annual appeal and events for over 15 years, Citi's employees have a proud tradition of improving the city and helping its most disadvantaged residents. But GCD took Citi volunteering to a new level. We congratulate everyone at Citi for their global leadership!