Reported by Elissa Song, #Hometown Sammamish Youth Action Project
On April 17th, 2025, AYLUS Lake Washington Branch members Elissa Song, Eric Huang, Haneesh Yalamanchili, Kevin Chen, and advisor Cici Sun volunteered at the Earth Day/Spring at Lower Commons Park in Sammamish. During the two hour-long event, our members diligently removed invasive blackberry roots, cut blackberry branches, and cleaned the surrounding area. Our members collectively dug up around 30 huge roots and cut two tarps full of blackberry branches.
Through our attendance at this event, we enjoyed the fresh outdoor air and beautiful sunshine, met other people from our community, made invaluable connections and enriched our knowledge of our city and its nature. We utilized our social and 21st century skills to collaborate with others and also utilized physical labor to complete tasks efficiently with teamwork. Everyone demonstrated amazing and palpable enthusiasm, acknowledging this event as an educational and fun activity. It has provided us a great opportunity to learn more about our surrounding environment and contribute towards the Sammamish community.
Our branch members volunteered from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, contributing a total of 10 volunteer hours:
Elissa Song: 2 hrs
Eric Huang: 2 hrs
Kevin Chen: 2 hrs
Haneesh Yalamanchili: 2 hrs
Cici Sun: 2 hrs
Location: Lower Commons Park, Sammamish, WA
#Hometown Sammamish Youth Action Project