Pat speaking at a CASA NYC event.
July 22, 2026
Long before Pat Jewett was old enough to vote, she was already taking part in elections.
She remembers helping her mom staple campaign posters across Harlem for a mayoral race, from 109th Street to 125th Street. Looking back, those moments were the start of a lifelong commitment to civic engagement.
By 17, Pat had pre-registered to vote while attending New York City's High School of Art and Design. Voting wasn't something her family talked about every few years. It was a part of life.
“My mom used to take me and my brother with her to vote,” she says. “That’s a family tradition that I carried with my daughters and my granddaughters.”
An event Pat Volunteered for, NYC Votes' Day of Action in Coney Island.
“If [a] dog catcher was running, we’d be voting,” she jokes.
Pat reconnected with civic engagement in a new way through former colleague and current NYC Votes Outreach Coordinator Danny Garcia-McGuire. When Danny joined NYC Votes, he asked if she'd be interested in volunteering.
She didn’t have to think twice.
“I really believe in [volunteering]. In almost any given situation, you have the opportunity to be part of the problem or part of the answer.”
I really believe in [volunteering]. In almost any given situation, you have the opportunity to be part of the problem or part of the answer.
Along with volunteering at NYC Votes events, Pat spends time at a neighborhood food pantry and volunteers with Community Actions for Safe Apartments (CASA), an organization that advocates for affordable housing in the Bronx. Her dedication to volunteering comes from a belief that communities are built when people care for one another.
“So many people in New York City have shown up for me. How do I turn my back? I can’t,” she says.
So many people in New York City have shown up for me. How do I turn my back? I can’t.
Pat enjoys the opportunity to connect with her neighbors at NYC Votes events. Whether she's at a block party, a street fair, or another community event, she gets to meet people where they are.
“It’s fun,” she says. “You’re smiling at people. You’re just hanging out. There’s no pressure.”
Over her years of volunteering, she’s noticed a positive shift.
“I think people seem to be more interested in voting now than before,” she says. “People are realizing they need to be involved.”
One of Pat’s favorite parts of volunteering has been sharing the experience with her family. Her daughter volunteers alongside her at NYC Votes events, and now her granddaughter is looking forward to volunteering as well.
Pat believes that’s what civic engagement is about: passing something meaningful from one generation to the next. When asked what she’d tell someone who’s thinking about volunteering with NYC Votes, she had one piece of advice:
“Give it a shot. I’m sure you’re going to talk to somebody that day who’s going to make you smile and let you know you have value.”
She hopes someone thinking about volunteering will be inspired by her experience to make sure they’re registered to vote, and encourage someone else to do the same.
Above all, Pat hopes future volunteers have a sense of their power to make a difference.
“People need to remember that they have value and that their voice counts,” she says.
People need to remember that they have value and that their voice counts.