On August 19, 2023, members of the AYLUS Bellaire branch volunteered to help set up and
disassemble stands, distribute backpacks and school supplies, lead families to different activities, and help them by providing information at the Teen Nation’s 6th Annual Back to School Jamfest.
Volunteers helped in two separate areas during Shift 1 (The Dome and The Church), and helped in the Dome in the afternoon when they were done escorting all the families around.
From approximately 10 AM to 12 PM, volunteers set up stations in The Dome to give backpacks to children and teenagers based on their grade levels as well as other stations to give out free accessories, and volunteers were instructed on how to escort the families through all the stations in The Church and The Dome. From approximately 12 PM to 1:30 PM, volunteers in The Church escorted families through all the stations, guiding them along and giving them free merchandise as well as the information needed from programs that sponsored the event. For example, families were able to get in contact with organizations for job opportunities, healthcare information, and educational opportunities (During this time, volunteers also had a lunch break).
Furthermore, during this time, volunteers in The Dome were busy handing out backpacks and
other accessories to other families. Lastly, from approximately 1:30 PM to 3 PM volunteers from
The Church guided families to The Dome for volunteers in The Church to help them get free merchandise from there. For example, families were able to get free haircut tickets, school supplies, and other cosmetics from The Dome in addition to backpacks. By 2:30 pm, volunteers who originally worked in The Church for the morning were instructed to go back and dismantle all the tables and set aside chairs from all the programs, since they had left the event. After this, volunteers helped program sponsors carry materials and equipment to their car and showed appreciation to them for sponsoring the Back to School Jamfest event. By 3 PM, volunteers gathered together in The Dome area, after dismantling the tables and setting aside the chairs from The Dome stations too, in order to take photos for AYLUS and were commended on their hard work by the staff of the event.
15 volunteers participated in this event: Shaun Israni, Owen Cheng, Raymond Han, Ivy Gu,
Megan Wang, Alexander Tang, Emerald Tang, Kyle Tang and Zhen Li (5 hours); Aien Du, Helena Wang, Isabel Li, Delbert Nie, Miranda Wang (3.5 hours); Daniel Wu (2 hours).
Reported by Shaun Israni
