December 20, 2019The Secret Snowflake Initiative led by NYC Service leveraged interagency and private sector partnerships to fulfill holiday gift requests from children and youth in need citywideNEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Chief Service Officer Anusha Venkataraman today announced that 3,200 holiday wishes from New York City children and youth in need were answered by volunteers from the business sector and city government through this year’s Secret Snowflake Initiative. Over the last six holiday seasons, Secret Snowflake has answered the holiday wishes of more than 16,000 New York City children and youth.The Secret Snowflake public-private partnership mobilizes business sector and City employees as volunteers to answer handwritten holiday letters from a child or young person in need. This year, letters came from 26 shelters and five Family Justice Centers across the boroughs. In addition to answering letters, businesses donated over 2,000 additional gifts valued at nearly $27,000, including books and sports equipment.“New Yorkers are kind and generous people and this holiday season many youth in need will know that we have them in our hearts and mind,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I want to thank every volunteer who took time to make someone’s holiday wish come true and all of our private sector partners that donated thousands of gifts to city residents in need.”“Every year, Secret Snowflake reminds us of how small acts of kindness can make a real difference for children and families in our city,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “The holidays should be a special time for everyone, and we are grateful to all the volunteers who partnered with us to help make this season brighter for thousands of New Yorkers.”“All children and youth deserve to feel special and included in holiday celebrations, and that’s our goal with Secret Snowflake,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Anusha Venkataraman. “NYC Service is so proud to partner with our sister agencies, businesses of all sizes across New York City, and the thousands of volunteers who continue to make this annual initiative possible. This spirit of collaboration beautifully illustrates the value New Yorkers place on community and the power of people when we work together as a City.”Through Secret Snowflake, NYC Service partners with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), the Department for the Aging (DFTA) and the Mayor’s Office to End Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) to collect letters from children and youth served by their agencies before the holiday season. The typical handwritten letter includes the child or young person’s first name, age, hobbies, any gift requests, and a space for them to draw their gift. Gift requests range from winter wear basics to creative materials. “The holidays are a special time to spread joy to children and families in need across the City,” said Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner David Hansell. “Thank you to NYC Service, and generous New Yorkers from across the City, for fulfilling the holiday wishes of many children served by ACS and therefore, making their season brighter!”“Secret Snowflake exemplifies the inherent compassion of New Yorkers in supporting the city’s most vulnerable communities every chance they get,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. “We are grateful for NYC Service’s leadership and the corporate partnerships that make this initiative possible, bringing joy and stability to the lives of children in need, while realizing the true spirit of the holidays in New York City.”“This year, the Secret Snowflake initiative continues to brighten up the holidays for over 1,000 children experiencing homelessness through gifts, including toys, books, and other essentials,” said Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter. “This NYC Service initiative reminds us of the important role communities play in helping New Yorkers in need get back on their feet, during the holidays and beyond.""The Secret Snowflake program demonstrates the best of our City during the holidays, bringing communities together to support the children and families we serve," said Human Resources Administrator Grace Bonilla. "We are proud to once again join NYC Service, our sister City agencies, and private partners in supporting a program that brings holiday cheer to nearly 500 children in HRA facilities across the five boroughs."“Grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren face unique challenges, especially during the holiday season. This year, 208 grandparents will receive a little extra help thanks to the Secret Snowflake program,” said NYC Department for the Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. “Seeing their holiday wishes answered will bring joy to each child this holiday season.”“Each year, Secret Snowflake puts smiles on the faces of so many young New Yorkers,” said Mayor""s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Commissioner Cecile Noel. “We are so proud to be in a partnership where we can help families enjoy the holiday season by providing children with wonderful gifts. This generous and vital program is one of the many ways that we honor our commitment to supporting survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and their families.”The Mayor’s Office for International Affairs also engages the diplomatic community in service during the holidays. This year, participants included the Permanent Missions of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Nauru, Norway, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Switzerland. The Consulates General of Barbados, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore and Sweden also participated, along with the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York, the Singapore Economic Development Board, the United Nations and members of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs.“At International Affairs, we look forward to Secret Snowflake every year. It is such a wonderful opportunity to team up with our diplomatic community to spread joy to New Yorkers in need,” said Mayor’s Office for International Affairs Commissioner Penny Abeywardena. “This year, representatives from more than 25 countries and international organizations helped make the holidays brighter for 125 children and their families. We are so grateful to our international partners for their generosity and for the honor of being part of this special initiative.”NYC Service’s business partners (as well as a few university and alumni groups) are some of the biggest contributors to Secret Snowflake. This year, over two dozen businesses and organizations across the city helped answer 20-200 letters from children and youth and/or contributed thousands of dollars in donated gifts. As of this week, all gifts were delivered to the shelters, Family Justice Centers, or Foster Grandparents where the authors of each letter received their holiday wish.2019 Secret Snowflake Business VolunteersAllen
& Co.ChanelNeuberger
BermanSwarovskiAlphaSightsCompanyNew
York TimesSynpulse
USAAmerican
AirlinesCubicoNYC
Football ClubTurner
ConstructionAxis
CapitalFuture
PLCOracle
Data CloudZwanger-Pesiri
RadiologyBrookfieldLetgoRevlonBSE
GlobalMizuho
AmericasSL
Green2019 Secret Snowflake In-Kind DonorsArtists
& Craftsman SupplyGreenlight
BookstoreMacy’sBooks
Are MagicHarper
CollinsNorth
Carolina A&T State University NYC
Alumni AssociationBlick
ArtsLong
Island University- Brooklyn CampusPrevail
Therapeutics“The holidays are a season of giving—a time to spread kindness and joy, especially to those in need,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Secret Snowflake is a great reminder of those values, and I thank everyone involved for fulfilling the holiday wishes of New Yorkers.”“NYC Service’s Secret Snowflake partnership helps everyone smile at this festive time of year. It""s so important that our needy children know that someone cares about them and takes the time to write them a note and provide holiday gifts. I can""t think of any better way to spread holiday cheer where it""s most needed," said NYS Assembly Member and Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz.“This is the season of giving, but many young people in our city who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability may not feel included in the holiday spirit. It is wonderful that so many New Yorkers rose to the occasion to help spread holiday cheer through the NYC Service Secret Snowflake initiative, and I want to thank everyone who participated this year. New York has always been a place where communities come together to affect positive change, and this is a wonderful example of the true spirit of New York City,” said NYS Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz.“I am grateful to NYC Service, their partner agencies, and city volunteers for their effort to bring joy this holiday season to 3,200 children and families in need. May we all continue the spirit of giving into the New Year, and aid communities in need and uplift the voices of vulnerable New Yorkers,” said New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi.“AlphaSights was honored to support 50 children through Secret Snowflake,” said Eve Thomson, Manager of Client Services and Board Member of Charity Group at AlphaSights. “We had over 70 volunteers who came to wrap gifts and give back - we can""t wait to participate again next year!”“As the world’s largest airline, we""re proud to give back in the communities where our team members and customers live and work – especially in New York,” said Darryl Towns, Director of State and Local Government Affairs for American Airlines. “We are delighted to be a part of the Secret Snowflake initiative as a second year contributor and hope to continue our partnership for years to come.”“This was our second year participating in Secret Snowflake and we were delighted to see exponential growth in what we""ve been able to collect through our community,” said Colleen Callery, Communications Director at Books Are Magic. “We""re honored to provide books to the city""s budding readers and spread a little holiday cheer along the way.”“Brookfield is proud to partner with NYC Service and the Mayor’s Office on the Secret Snowflake initiative for the 11th year to bring joy to New York City’s children in need during the holidays,” said Katie Kinney, Head of Corporate Philanthropy at Brookfield New York. “Secret Snowflake is by far our most beloved initiative in the office. Each year, we receive an overwhelming response to fulfill letters from employees who are always looking for ways to engage with and give back to the community. We’re grateful to NYC Service for providing a meaningful opportunity to do so via Secret Snowflake.”“The employees at Future PLC are delighted once again to take part in the NYC Secret Snowflake gift-gifting initiative,” said Jeannie Mitchell, Office Manager at Future PLC. “Our staff across the U.S. and the U.K. have eagerly donated gifts this year to 100 NYC children in need. Knowing that a child will have something to unwrap over the holidays warms our hearts. Thank you to the NYc Mayor""s Office and the wonderful staff for working tirelessly to make this happen!”“New York City Football Club is proud to participate in NYC Service’s Secret Snowflake for the fourth year in a row,” said Paul Jeffries, Senior Director of Community Development at the New York City Football Club. “Our staff are always looking forward to Secret Snowflake and have expressed this is their favorite annual initiative. We are so thankful to NYC Service for organizing this lovely initiative and providing our staff the opportunity to help meet simple needs of children in NYC’s foster care and shelters during the holiday season.”“This year our NYC offices came together for a Secret Snowflake project to gather hundreds of gifts for kids across the city,” said Kurt Kratchman, GVP, Product Development at Oracle Data Cloud. “Our hope is that these gifts bring joy to the children in our community.”“SL Green is proud to partner with the NYC Service to give back to our community during the holiday season,” said Lynne-Courtney Hodges, Vice President at SL Green. “It is meaningful for our employees to support the causes we value like the Secret Snowflake program. We strive to be agents of goodwill for our neighbors throughout the city.”“Secret Snowflake has become a holiday tradition here at Synpulse,” said Sanya Thapa, Senior Consultant at Synpulse USA. “Our employees always look forward to participating as it gives us a chance to support those most in need in our city during a very special time of the year.” “We""ve expanded throughout NYC, we""ve witnessed the need and our team couldn""t be more grateful, this Christmas, for the opportunity to make a small difference in the lives of our future leaders,” said Chante"" Jordan, Director of PR at Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology.About NYC Service NYC Service is a division of the Mayor’s Office that builds partnerships to deepen and expand civic engagement through volunteer and service programs, creating sustainable change for our city""s greatest needs. We unite New Yorkers in service to advance lifelong civic engagement for a more equitable and inclusive city. To learn more about NYC Service and connect to volunteer opportunities, visit nyc.gov/service.###