Hey
everyone,
As Carly and Juliana have already mentioned, this whole experience has been
nothing short of a fairy tale. I am so blessed to be a part of this rewarding
tradition. Being able to give back to a city that has given so much to
me truly means a lot. We have attended many different events and are
so proud to have been able to do this.
One of the events that we had the honor to attend was the
Spring Festival of India; which was held on Sunday June 7th at
the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. We had the privilege to sit
in the front row while children of all ages danced traditional Indian dances.
They were excellent!! We were also treated to delicious food as well! We were
so proud to have been able to learn more about the Indian culture and
lifestyle. After The Spring Festival of India came Alive @ Five on Thursday
June 11th. The group up was Wilder. They got the crowd on their feet and
they had everyone (including me) dancing. The headliners for the night were the
Coasters and the Platters. Juliana and myself worked the merchandise table
and even got to meet them after the show! It was really cool.
The next event was the 5th Annual Junteenth Celebration at the Arbor
Hill Community Center on June 13th. The Juneteenth Ceremony symbolizes
the day that all the slaves were freed. (Slaves were not freed from the
Emancipation Proclamation.) Juneteenth is usually celebrated on June 19 because
slaves were freed on June 19, 1865. There were many fun activities going on all
day, great food, music, and people. Juliana, Rosa and I worked at the arts
and crafts table where we made American Flags with the children. One little
girl made me a picture, wrote her name on it, and looked up at me and
said," Are you going to go home and put this on your wall?" I
replied," Of course!" It truly was an awesome day!
Two days later, on Monday June 15th, we were asked to
hand out the Bronze Award to the Junior Girl Scout Troop 1071 of Blessed
Sacrament for their dedication to volunteering and helping the community. The
Bronze Award is one of the highest honor that the Girl Scouts can obtain.
These young ladies read for many hours to younger children and collected
books for the less fortunate. I was so excited to meet all of those girls
who seemed like little versions of us. I think it is truly remarkable that
these give girls give back as much as they do; and they’re only in 4th and 5th
grade!! I know that they will do big things when they get older.
As you can
see we have been very busy, but the people we touch make everything worth it.
Luckily, we have the Father's Day Pop's Concert to look forward to on Sunday
June 21st.
