On Saturday, November 9th, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Roslyn Branch of AYLUS volunteered at a CP Nassau Group Home in Bethpage. The Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County has been around and assisting individuals with disabilities since 1948. CP Nassau aims to help individuals reach their highest level of independence, helping close to 1,500 children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Since we have visited this house many times, we have built close relationships with each and every resident. This allowed us to bring activities we knew would be a hit with the residents. We started our time with baking thumbprint cookies. Assisting residents with combining and mixing ingredients, the cookie dough was then chilled in the fridge. While waiting for the cookies to chill and bake, we passed the time by doing arts and crafts. We enjoyed an autumn-themed craft with velcro leaves on trees. We added to the festivities by doing some winter-themed activities. Volunteers assisted the residents in coloring wooden ornaments and stringing them to be hung up on the wall. After the crafts and a game of velcro-darts, we indulged in the cookies we baked earlier. The thumbprint cookies were a major success with all residents, staff, and volunteers! Finishing off the cookies, we then moved on to playing bingo which is a game that gets everyone involved. After two rounds of bingo, we decided to take advantage of the weather and take a walk around the neighborhood. Volunteers paired up with a resident and made sure the walk outside was accessible and enjoyable.
Throughout our time at this house, we made sure everyone was included and the activities were accessible. We want residents to have a good time and enjoy the activities we offer. Volunteering with CP Nassau is a great experience and teaches us the importance of being kind and helping others. We are so honored to be able to spend time with the residents and can’t wait to be back!
Reporter, Angelika Jiang
Participants: Maxim Li (3 hours, R), Leo Zheng (3 hours, R), Angelika Jiang (3 hours, R), Maggie Xiao (3 hours, GN), Michael Zhang (3 hours, R), Haoyang Sun (3 hours, GN)
