During the week of January 19, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens passed out flyers to their neighbors about the AYLUS Book Drive. We also collected books from other neighbors. Similarly, our members donated books from their own household.
Our members rang the doorbells at their neighbors’ homes. Our members gave them these flyers that talked about the AYLUS Book Drive and the importance of donating books to Africa. Our parent advisor and other parents also posted an online version of the flier on social media.
Soon after, we received many messages and emails from many different people such as neighbors and friends. These people wanted us to come over and pick up the books. There was a seemingly endless amount of books. A few members also noted how the donors were thankful that we were hosting a book drive, as they were planning to throw some books away as they had too much.
As we collected the books, we caught the attention of other people. They asked us what we were doing. We explained how we were collecting books to donate to Africa and how these books would be used to make a library. They thanked us for explaining to them and for helping places in poverty. We’d like to thank everyone who donated for their help.
There were people who asked us to pick up books in the freezing weather. Although the trip was dangerous, our members still went to their home to pick up the books. The books were heavy, so the members slid it down the stairs. However, it was still very enjoyable.
Our members also spent some of their time going through their own bookshelves and found some books that met the donation requirements. They decided to donate to the Africa Library to help those in need. We’d like to thank everyone who helped us reach our goal. They all have a heart made of gold.
Our Volunteers:
Jia Qi (Angela) Liu: 2 hours
Hong Hao (Alfred) Liu: 2 hours
Stephanie ShiRan You: 2 hours
Sophia ShiHan You: 2 hours
Anthony Lin: 2 hours
Ricky Song: 2 hours
Ioknor Lin: 2 hours
Ioklee Lin: 2 hours
Iokting Lin: 2 hours
Iokseng Lin: 2 hours
Brandon Lin: 2 hours
Aiden Lin: 2 hours
Hannah Zheng: 2 hours
Vicki Lin: 2 hours
Velma Wu: 2 hours
Verina Wu: 2 hours
Erica Wu: 2 hours
Thea Jiang: 1.5 hours
Zhengyilan (Elaine) Fang: 1 hours
Shiqi (Suki) Zheng: 1 hours
Chole Cheng: 1 hours
Matthew Lin: 1 hours
Albert Tang: 30 minutes
Report by Hong Hao Liu (Alfred) and Sophia ShiHan You
Reviewed by Jia Qi Liu (Angela)
