Everyone has their own reason for spending time in Washington Square Park. Maybe it’s your favorite reading spot, your meet-up point with friends, or where you take your dog to play.

But what makes a twenty-something, with all of New York City’s delights at her disposal, spend her weekend mornings sitting under the shade of a tree, talking to complete strangers?

For WSPC greeter volunteer, M, it actually started at work.

“Well I knew that my company had a corporate match program for volunteer hours donated to different organizations.” That means that for every hour M volunteers, her company provides the organization with a donation. It’s a valuable double-whammy, especially for a community organization like the Conservancy. But it still leaves the question, why the Park?

Parkies love all the information the Greeters have at the Welcome Wagon

“I really like Washington Square Park because of all the live performances that go on there. I also like the Park itself. The plantings are really nice and I think the monuments themselves are beautiful. I wanted to give back, even in a small way, and I figured that with the corporate match it would make it more worthwhile. And it gives me a reason to be in the Park.”

M is a member of one of the Conservancy’s committed volunteer programs, meaning she gives at least 6 hours a month as a Greeter in the Park. Although she didn’t have any prior experience running an info booth, she caught on quickly.

“It’s been really interesting to see all the different people in the Park, people from all walks of life, all different demographics. And it’s also so nice to meet other volunteers. And I’ll be honest, it helps that we start at 11:00am! Early morning hours are tough, especially on a weekend, but 11 on a Saturday or a Sunday I can do.”

M found her reasons to give back in Washington Square Park, what are yours? Find out more about our volunteer opportunities here, and hope to see you in the Park soon!