To New Yorkers, city parks are the oases of New York City, making it all the more important to keep them clean and pristine.

In an effort to give back to the NYC community, the Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) students lent a helping hand at Cunningham Park in Queens on July 26. The students picked fallen leaves off the park's grounds and filled trash bags full of them, ensuring that the park looked its very best for visitors.

For many of the students, this activity was their first time volunteering for a community.

"Cleaning the park may not sound like a big deal, but actually, every little action counts," said one of the Student Advisory Board (SAB) leaders who organized this activity, Young Zhang, a Macau University of Science and Technology student majoring in supply chain management. "I think that is what volunteerism is all about. It's helping in any little way you can in order to contribute to something much larger."

CCIP, organized by FUSIA Communications, a designated sponsor of the US State Department's Exchange Visitor Program, attracts student participants who wish to gain both professional and cultural experience through a structured and guided internship program. Volunteering is just one of the ways in which CCIP students are encouraged to engage with the NYC community.

Special thanks to the NYC Department of parks and Recreation and the Friends of Cunningham Park, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the maintenance of Cunningham Park.

About Cunningham Park: A 358-acre oasis of fields, ponds, trails, recreation facilities and precious forest in Eastern Queens, Cunningham Park has been a meeting ground for New Yorkers throughout the past century. Today, Cunningham Park is an integral part of the New York City greenway system, providing essential growing space for flora and fauna.
To New Yorkers, city parks are the oases of New York City, making it all the more important to keep them clean and pristine.