NY de Volunteer 05/04/2002 Spring Clean Up Day

As the Japan Team, NY de Volunteer joined the Spring Clean Up Day organized by New York Cares. Kazumi Terada and Noriko Hino, now the founders of NY de Volunteer, had wanted to contribute to New York, since they have benefitted a lot from New York. And one day, they heard this event and decided to participate it together with other Japanese living here also. They posted this opportunity on several Web sites and various free newspapers, and received about a hundred responses. This many responses made Kazumi and Noriko realize the high demand for volunteer works among Japanese in New York.

On that day of the event, they set up the registration booth, in front of New York Cares office, for the Japanese partcipants.All Japanese volunteers received the uniform T-shirts and got on a school bus left for the destination. Marine Park is the farthest shore of the Jamaica Bay. The park facilitates not only recreation field, such as a baseball stadium, but also the promenade within the environmental protection area.

Upon arriving the park, Japan Team received the instruction from the site captain, Richard along with other four teams (Random House, Boston College Club of New York, The Center for Arts Education, McCann-Erickson Worldwide.) We separated into three groups assigned individually for planting new lawns, painting and maintaining trees. Every work is hard and we craved for lunch time. As the finishing time was closing, the managers wanted to speed up the work, and we finally completed the assignments.

Once we returned to Manhattan, we moved to Carmine Recreational Center for the wrap up party and cheered the beer glasses and hot dogs provided by New York Cares.

"I just came to NY for my husband's relocation of work. I have plently of time and want to meet new people, but I was reluctant because I felt not good at Englsh. But, oneday, I happened to see the message calling for the Japanese volunteer on the Internet. I quickly got inspiration and said, "This is it!," and participated. When I joined, I was surprized that the members are in all ages and some joined alone. Without this opportunity, I would never visit the Park in Brooklyn by riding a yellow school bus. Now I feel much more attachment to the blue sky of New York after sweaty work together with other volunteers. And also, I got to know some people and later we took lunch and took a walk in Manhattan due to this volunteer I would strongly like to join the event like this again. " (by Kyoko)

After September 11, I was looking for something to help my community and found this volunteer event. I felt the clean up of the park is very meaningful and also very important to me since the Japanese in NY gathered and accomplished one thing; despite the Japanese are not interested in forming the their community in NY while Chineese or Korean has made it, since not many of us want to permanently live here.(by Shinji Murabe)

"I participted this by noticing the call-for-entry ad on a community paper. I am interested in the volunnteer activities in U.S. , so I just tried out for a day. My work was maintenance of soil for planting lawn. It was nice feeling to work under the clear blue sky. It was impressive that coordinators and participants looked all relaxed and casually participated. " (by Ms. Nagai)

"I had wanted to do volunteer, but I couldn't be in mood and did not seek the opportunity nor worked actually. My work is to prepare soil and planting lawn. The work looked easy but hard indeed. Everyday, I passed this park and since then realized that the big maintenance has kept this park clean. " (by Satoshi)

"I have already worked in some volunteer events in Japan, but I have never worked for environmental protection work like this, SPRING CLEAN UP DAY. And also, this is tha first experience of overseas volunteer while I was interested in the volunteer works in U.S. On that day, there are many Japanese participants, so I feel supported and worked on the project without losing the step.

Upon participating this, while I was on the bus for the return trip, I realized that I could get this satisfacory feeling, "What's the nice feeling this is!," once I physically joined and accomplised the volunteer work.How is the lawn we, the Japan Team planted now? All participants said, "Oneday, we want to see the lawn." Plus, the organizer, NY Cares held the party which is quite bigger than I expected. There, I conversed with a friendly and unpretentious American woman. She is working as an artist usually and joined the volunter whenever she has time.I noticed that the volunteer work is natural and popular in everyday life of the U.S.

I think the image of the volunteer varies for each person, such as "tough", "hypocratic" and so on, but once I joined this work, I became to think, "If I am interested, let's do first." After finishing the volunteer, how you feel depends on yourself. But I feel, "I was right to do this." I still want to have good feeling throughout volunteer works. " (by Michiko)

"Today's clean up volunteer made me think of garbages by my own experience" I have littered the trash on the street sometimes and also I didn't separate garbages for recycle bins before. From now, I will follow the rule. Now I am a college student and thinking about my career. I would like to continue various volunteer works and expand my perspective" (by H)

I joined this voulnteer during my 2 week visit of New York.
I have visited NY several times and wanted to do something together with local people. And then, I found this opportunity on the Web. I experienced NY different from tourism. " (by N)

Please give us your Spring Clean Up Day experience
You can send us the photo you want to show on this Web site. NYdV staff will edit and upload it on this site. staff@nydevolunteer.org

"Hello, Everyone of Japan Team.... The participating groups are usually corporate members in Spring Clean Up Day. I heard that the Japan Team is the group of people with different back ground. While most groups are of 15 to 20 peoples, the 36 people is great number for one group. And also, I am surpirzed at the attendance rate. Because, normally about 20% of registration is cancelled on that day. Japan Team has registered 36 people and indeed 36 showed up. 100% attendance rate! You may have strong responsibility sense. Please join 10/19 NY Cares Day. Thank you!"