On Saturday, June 15th, 2024, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, the Roslyn Branch of AYLUS volunteered at a CP Nassau Group Home in Hicksville. CPNassau is a nonprofit organization that provides the best possible care for adults and children with cerebral palsy. One of the programs they provide is residential homes that provide a safe, comfortable, and positive living environment. CPNassau enhances the life of so many individuals and we are so grateful to get the opportunity to help them with their cause. Today we had 6 volunteers spending time with residents.
Today, we had many fun activities such as baking, arts and crafts, puzzles, and Connect 4 planned out. We also spent some time outside with some residents because they wanted to shoot hoops! We started with puzzles. We brought 4 beautiful animal theme puzzles and all the residents took turns trying different puzzles. When they were all finished and put together, they looked so nice! Then, one of the residents wanted to go outside and play basketball so while everyone else finished up some puzzles, we went outside to shoot around. He couldn’t miss, he made shot after shot! We also saw one other resident who was already sitting outside listening to the radio. We asked if he wanted to play however he did not at first. However, after shooting for a little, he decided to play. Then, we went back inside to start our arts and crafts projects. Today we were painting and designing small picture frames. We started by painting them in different colors. Then, the residents used stamps to write their names on their picture frames. Some residents got pictures from their rooms to put into the picture frames. They came out looking so good. Then, we played some Connect 4. The residents played against some volunteers, or they played against each other. Each game was super fun, competitive, and exciting. Everyone had a great time. Then, we decided to bake muffins. We planned out what to bake and everyone brought some ingredients. All the residents took turns adding ingredients, mixing them, and pouring them into the muffin tray. While it was cooking in the oven, we continued playing Connect 4. Finally, the muffins were done. They were delicious and everyone got to eat 1, maybe even 2 muffins! Everyone was having fun the whole time, listening to music while doing the activities.
We learned that sometimes, it just takes a little watching or looking at something before a resident wants to participate and that we should not give up when trying to get a resident to participate in an activity. This week was a great time and we had lots of fun!
The members who participated include: Brooke Zheng (3.0 Hours), Leah Chan (3.0 Hours), Leo Zheng (3.0 Hours), Maxim Li (3.0 Hours), Haoyang Sun (3.0 Hours), and Michael Zhang (3.0 Hours).
Reporter: Maxim Li
