Reported by Jessica Lu :
On June 20th, Murrieta AYLUS members helped at a landscaping project for Habitat for Humanity. When members got to the site, it was a little early so they they checked in and waited until it was time to start. A few minutes later, members were given a little introduction and background of the house they would be working on for the day. The house was built by Habitat for Humanity, and now all they had to do to finish the house was the landscaping part. The family that was going to move into the house was chosen over 1000 applicants! The family consisted of 7 people, 5 of them girls, and one of the 5 girls was disabled so Habitat for Humanity thoughtfully made the house accessible for her. Then, members were given an overview of what they were going to do today and safety tips for the heavy lifting. After the introduction, members got to work. They brought over bags of mulch to cover the whole front yard, careful to avoid the plants and the elegantly crafted river of rocks. After, members moved to the backyard and brought bags of river stones over and spread out the rocks evenly. They had to carry many bags of stones in order to get this accomplished but when they were done, the finished product made it worthwhile. Then they made their way to the back of the backyard where they shoveled out the big rocks into wheelbarrows. When they were shoveling the rocks, members discovered a whole ant colony nested in the rocks and had to be careful of the ants around them so as to not let them crawl up their leg! Members took a quick water break after and then proceeded to get more river rocks to fill out the other side of the backyard. Before members put the rocks down, they had to cover the ground with a black cloth. This was to prevent plants/weeds from growing out of the rocks. After, members went out front and started to clean up. They put the extra bags of mulch, the tools, and the gloves in the trailer. They carried a cart of extra river rocks onto a pickup truck. Members enjoyed the experience and will use their knowledge to design their own house’s landscape in the future.
Volunteers: Aiying Lu / Hsin Chen (Julie) Lu / Jessica Lu : 4hrs ea
