You're invited to join Mayor Dean and the Mayor's Office of New Americans on Wednesday, April 22 for a MyCity Connect event focused on the importance of volunteerism and opportunities to serve our community. 

We'll hear from Mayor Dean and nonprofit leaders about volunteer opportunities in Nashville and then roll up our sleeves and spend some time volunteering for Second Harvest Food bank.  

MyCity Connect is a new initiative from the Mayor's Office of New Americans that provides an opportunity for New Americans and more established residents to network and get to know each other while enjoying fun, free activities at some of Nashville's great civic and cultural locations. 

Event information is as follows: 

WHAT:  MyCity Connect: Volunteer Day

ACTIVITIES:  Learn about volunteer opportunities throughout Nashville and then volunteer with Second Harvest

WHEN:  Wednesday April 22nd, 8:30-11:30am

WHERE:  Second Harvest Food Bank, 331 Great Circle Road, Nashville

COST:  Free to participants; breakfast provided

Space is limited, and participants must RSVP by April 17 using this link.

Last month's MyCity Connect event brought together Nashvillians from all over the city--and the world. Participants met at Southeast Community Center to learn about the benefits of fitness and a healthy lifestyle--and to have fun getting active! After line dancing, boot camp, badminton and soccer, participants gathered for lunch to mingle and meet Mayor Dean. 

Are you a lawful permanent resident who is thinking about becoming a U.S. citizen? Did you know that naturalization opens doors to more and better-paying jobs, academic scholarships and other benefits? Do you want to learn more about how to become a citizen and meet with experts who can help you fill out your paperwork?  

Join the Mayor's Office of New Americans, along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, on Thursday, April 16 at Coleman Park Community Center. USCIS will present information about immigration and naturalization at 6:00pm, and TIRRC will conduct a free prescreening of citizenship eligibility at 7:00pm. 

You're invited to join Mayor Dean at the Southeast Community Center (5260 Hickory Hollow Parkway) in Antioch at 12:00pm on Thursday, April 9 to launch the Mayor's 2015 health initiative. The event will include a free two-mile walk. 

Since taking office, Mayor Dean has invested more than $250 million in public infrastructure--including sidewalks, bikeways, greenways, community centers and parks--to help citizens live healthy, active lives. To inspire Nashville residents to take advantage of the city’s resources for a healthy lifestyle, Mayor Dean has created several citywide health events and challenges, including Walk 100 Miles with the Mayor, the Mayor’s Challenge 5K Walk/Run and Mayor’s Field Day with the Tennessee Titans.

This new initiative will be the culmination of those efforts. 

The Big Payback is coming May 5, 2015, and the Welcoming Nashville Fund--the private-dollar, nonprofit fund that supports Mayor's Office of New Americans initiatives like MyCity Academy and MyCity Connect--is excited to take part in this great event.  

The Big Payback, hosted by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is a community-wide online giving day that’s a special occasion to celebrate Middle Tennessee’s spirit of generosity and support the work of nonprofits. Gifts made during The Big Payback will be increased by incentives and awards for participating nonprofits, which may help the Welcoming Nashville Fund qualify for special prizes and bonuses.

For more information, visit www.TheBigPayback.org. And don't forget to log onto that site on May 5 to contribute to the Welcoming Nashville Fund!

MyCity Academy 2015 kicked off on March 19, and it was a great success. The largest and most diverse class in MyCity Academy's four-year history spent the day hearing from Mayor Dean about the work of Metro Government, touring the downtown library and learning about topics ranging from the history of Nashville to our city's place in the civil rights movement. 

Coming later this month: MyCity Academy participants will get an introduction to some of the departments that help our city run, from Metro Water Services to Metro Public Works.