On November 7th, 2026, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 361st community service event at the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground in Queens. During this event, our members worked alongside Maureen Regan and her team to clean up the historic grounds and plant daffodil bulbs in preparation for the upcoming spring season. The event lasted from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
At the beginning of the event, all members gathered around the central circular garden to receive instructions from Maureen. Our members initially split into two groups. Older members dragged large piles of branches from around the grounds to a truck parked near the entrance. These branches had been collected by Boy Scouts Troop 255, who had worked throughout the summer to maintain the burial ground. Meanwhile, other members cleared vines and overgrown plants on the fences around the flower beds. Our members also had to carefully avoid damaging the surrounding plants.
After completing these tasks, several members brought rakes and shovels from the vehicle to continue the cleanup. Some members raked leaves and debris from the flower beds and the area near the entrance, taking care not to trample the flowers. Others used hand shovels to dig out roots, while a few members used loppers to cut overgrown tree branches. Through these efforts, we helped clear accumulated vegetation and maintain the burial ground’s gardens.
Our members also worked together at the central garden to remove weeds and plant daffodil bulbs. Maureen demonstrated the planting process, instructing us to dig deep holes with the pointed ends of the bulbs facing upward. We planted the bulbs in rings, spacing them approximately six inches apart and leaving twelve inches between each ring. By following Maureen’s instructions and coordinating our planting, we planted hundreds of bulbs throughout the central garden.
Maureen also explained the history behind the daffodil planting project. Following the September 11th attacks, New York City began distributing daffodil bulbs for residents to plant in public spaces to brighten communities each spring. Maureen had participated in this effort for over fifteen years, and we were glad to contribute to a tradition that continues to bring flowers to public gardens across the city.
By the end of the event, we had collected 54 bags of yard waste and loaded the accumulated branches onto the truck. Maureen also generously provided crackers, candy, chips, water, and pumpkins for our volunteers to enjoy and take home.
Through this event, AYLUS Oakland Gardens helped maintain the historic burial ground while learning the importance of careful garden maintenance and proper planting techniques. We hope to continue working with Maureen and her team to preserve local green spaces and see the daffodils bloom in the coming spring.
We would like to extend our thanks to Maureen Regan and her team for organizing this event and for continuing to work with our branch throughout the years. We would also like to thank Boy Scouts Troop 255 for their hard work maintaining the burial ground throughout the summer. In addition, we are grateful to our parent advisor team for their continued support throughout the event. Finally, we would like to thank all AYLUS Oakland Gardens members who attended this event. Through your hard work and dedication, our branch was able to help preserve the historic burial ground and prepare its gardens for spring.
Our volunteers:
1. Stephanie You: 3.5 hours
2. Sophia You: 3.5 hours
3. Selena You: 3.5 hours
4. Alfred Liu: 3.5 hours
5. Aiden Lin: 3.5 hours
6. Brandon Lin: 3.5 hours
7. Jiansheng Chen: 3.5 hours
8. Kaden He: 3.5 hours
9. Honglei Luo: 3.5 hours
10. Zhiheng Zhou: 3.5 hours
11. Vincent He: 3.5 hours
12. Enda Zheng: 3.5 hours
13. Anthony Xu: 3.5 hours
14. Sophia Xu: 3.5 hours
15. Ricky Song: 3.5 hours
16. Janice Ma: 3.5 hours
17. Ioklee Lin: 3.5 hours
18. Ioknor Lin: 3.5 hours
19. Jason Liu: 3.5 hours
20. Steven Zhu: 3.5 hours
21. Tina Chen: 3.5 hours
22. Winnie Lin: 3.5 hours
23. Xi-en Wang: 3.5 hours
24. Nuoyan Chen: 3.5 hours
25 Angie Zhuo: 3.5 hours
26. Xianyi Chen: 3.5 hours
27. Nicolas Qiu: 3.5 hours
28. Nathan Jin: 3.5 hours
29. Roy Zheng: 3.5 hours
30. Rui Zhu: 3.5 hours
31. Ryan Zheng: 3.5 hours
32. Vicki Lin: 3.5 hours
33. Zihan Shi: 3.5 hours
34. Cindy Siegel: 3.5 hours
35. Austin Li: 3.5 hours
36. Harry Huang: 3.5 hours
37. Liam Cheung: 3.5 hours
38. Alice Dai: 3.5 hours
39. Zhiyan Zeng: 3.5 hours
40. Yining Chen: 3.5 hours
41. Haoze Gao: 3.5 hours
42. Fayee Chen: 2.5 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Fannie Li: 6 hours
Karen Liao: 6 hours
Faye Liu: 6 hours
Report Written by: Brandon Lin
