AYLUS Oakland Gardens Makes Poster Boards for the Branch’s One Year Event (08/02/2024)

For their 100th event, August 02, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens’ board members each created a poster board that introduces and explains what AYLUS is. The board members included information on how to join AYLUS, our Mission Statement, and some examples of our past events.

To recap, some of our most notable events included fundraising for the African Library Project. Members made donation boxes and put them in Townsend Harris High School, Public School 203, Junior High School 74, a local CVS Pharmacy, Chelsea Art School, and the Queens Public Libraries in East Flushing and Bayside. Afterwards, members packed the books in boxes and shipped them to New Orleans, where they would be inspected and then sent to Ghana to help build a library. Members also hosted many fundraisers, including selling balloon animals at parks to help cover for the shipping fees.

Many of our events involve partnerships with organizations and groups like Green Earth Urban Gardens Inc and Friends of Crocheron & John Golden Park. These events teach us many valuable lessons about nature, like how mulching suppresses weeds or how the smallest pieces of trash can build up and cause huge problems.

Another event that happened recently was the President’s Volunteer Service Award ceremony. 17 members received Certificates of Recognition from Senator John C. Liu along with PVSAs, golden, silver, and bronze medals. To earn these awards, members had to reach certain prerequisites depending on their age group. For example, teenagers have to have 100+ hours and kids have to get 75+ hours to get a golden medal. Motivating all members, Senator Liu concluded his speech with this: “You know you made a difference. That is the greatest reward that you as volunteers and therefore as leaders can gain.”

By making these posters, the board members hope that we can embody the mission statement and give everyone in the neighborhood a chance to “connect, learn, and develop a stronger sense of community while enjoying themselves.”