On Saturday, July 13th, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, members of the Aylus Branch volunteered at the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County in Levittown. (CP Nassau is an organization that has been assisting individuals with disabilities since 1948.)

    Today four members came together and prepared some fun activities for the residents.

    We started with baking a lemon cake using a cake mix. We cut open the packet of cake mix and poured it with water, egg, and melted butter into a mixing bowl. Then we let a few of the residents mix the batter until it was fully mixed. After that, we poured the batter into a bread pan and baked it in the oven for 50 minutes. 

    While we were waiting for the cake to bake, we took out crafting supplies and cardstock for the residents to make cards for one of the residents. That day happened to be his birthday. The residents had a great time decorating a birthday card for him. We helped them add pompoms, stickers, stamps, as well as other various decorations. They also painted picture frames for friends and family. After the paint dried, we helped them decorate the picture frames with stickers. 

    By that time the cake had finished baking and was ready for icing. We started to mix the ingredients for the glaze but unfortunately we added too much water. In the end, we couldn’t make the glaze and ate the cake without it. When we went to try the cake, it tasted really good even without the glaze. All the residents really enjoyed the cake! 

    Afterward, we cleaned the mixing bowls and baking supplies and bought out some games for the residents to play. They all agreed on Uno and we helped the residents decide on which card they would place down. We had a nice time and some of them played another round after that. Two of the other residents wanted to put together puzzles and later joined a round of Uno. Some of us wanted to join in and enjoyed played with the residents.

    Working with the residents for three hours was really fun despite a few challenges. At the end, everyone had a great time baking, making cards, and played games. We are so lucky to work with these residents and spend time with them! We hope to continue volunteering at CP Nassau and work with these residents again 

Participants:

Maxim Li (3 hours), Emma Wei (3 hours), Maggie Xiao (3 hours), and Xingzhi Li (3 hours)

Reporter: Emma Wei