On April 4, 2026, 6 members from the AYLUS Roslyn branch volunteered at a residential house in Long Island from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
We started the visit by greeting all the residents and catching up with everyone. Then, we started our first activity which was baking sugar cookies together. The residents joined in and helped pour and mix the ingredients. After we had an evenly combined dough, we all worked together to shape and flatten the cookies before putting them in the oven to bake.
While waiting for the cookies to bake, in the meantime we decided to do some arts and crafts. Since Easter was coming up, we brought some easter egg shaped wooden stencils. We helped the residents to color and decorate their wooden easter eggs with lots of colors. The eggs turned out great, and everyone had a really fun time.
By this time, the cookies had finished baking and were still nice and warm so we decided to take a break to enjoy them. Some residents couldn’t eat solid food so we mashed the cookies up so they could still enjoy eating them. Everyone really loved the cookies and it ended up being a nice break for all of us.
After eating the cookies, we decided to play some Uno. We created teams and played a few matches before switching to Hedbanz, another fun game. The residents loved participating in these games, and turned out to be really good at them. Then, to end our day, we decided to make incense bags. We used dried lavender and jasmine flowers and mixed them together to make a nice, pleasant smell. The residents loved these bags as well.
Overall, the visit was a rewarding experience for both volunteers and residents. The activities contributed to a warm and inclusive atmosphere, encouraging interaction and engagement. The timing, just before Easter, added to the positive energy of the visit. We look forward to returning soon.
Maxim Li (3 hours), Leo Zheng (2 hours), Michael Zhang (3 hours),
Connie Lin (3 hours), Ayden Zheng (3 hours), Lily Zhang (3 hours)Reporter: Lily Zhang
