On the first of February, AYLUS members went to the Tiles Center to help out
with a lunar new year festival. Before members attended the event, they had to
participate in two Zoom meetings (one hour each) which debriefed what each volunteer would be doing, what times certain groups would come and go, and the location of the volunteering
place.
For the Dix Hills Branch volunteers arrived for the 9 to 12 pm slot. This group of
volunteers received event T-shirts for their help, and were tasked with decorating the
halls and the business area. Volunteers hung decorative lanterns that high schoolers
had put together beforehand, Lunar New Year posters, and banners. There was another
room to the side where volunteers helped tape paintings that various artists from
different schools had submitted and moved chairs to the seating area. At the main
entrance, participants blew up balloons and set up cardboard cutouts to welcome
guests. In the front, stands were set up that had free lanterns and keychains for the
kids.
There was always something a volunteer could be doing, so AYLUS members
were hard at work trying to meet the 12 pm deadline. With the help of everyone, the
volunteers were able to beautifully decorate the meeting halls and help the staff with
setting up to prepare for the guests. Thanks to AYLUS the Lunar New Year celebration
was a success and couldn’t have gone any better
Volunteer: Jake Wu (5.5 hours)