On November 1st, volunteers from the AYLUS Great Neck Branch went to Steppingstone Park from 10:30 to after the sun set. For the first few hours, the volunteers were helping with the set up, learning and preparing their equipment. The volunteers decided to make the face painting and balloon animals free, with a donation jar for JFK elementary school that was optional for the parents and adults.
At around 1:30 pm, people started flooding in, and the volunteers started to become busier. Soon, the balloon animals were all passed around. The volunteers had to retrieve new balloons just because the demand didn’t match supply. Meanwhile, the hand crafted stuffed animals and crochet bags were also having quite a few sales. It attracted customers of all ages. The face painting was also a popular hit, with many “awesome work!” from the parents for the volunteers’ careful paintings. There was a beautiful scene of the water, and there were bubbles, a rock climbing wall, cotton candy machine, a hay maze, and a concert. Activities for all age groups were offered, along with a petting zoo. Near the end, the whole crowd of people watched as the sky filled with light and fireworks. As the event ended, the volunteers began cleaning up and packing everything up.
Through this event, everyone had fun, and helped each other. There was a lot of teamwork and support from each member to the others. Overall, this event was a huge success, with many donations and a lot of smiles.
Reporter: Mengran Sun
Yiqing Lu 3.75 hrs, Rainie Che
