Dressed in matching shirts and gloves, a group of students from the Cross Cultural Internship Program (www.theccip.com) returned to Cunningham Park in the morning on July 16th for a second day of volunteering. The park, located in central Queens, is 358 acres of trees, trails, and fields ideal for a game of baseball on a sunny summer's day.

On this warm Saturday morning, more than 20 CCIP exchange visitors arrived to give back to a community that has welcomed them in for the summer. Volunteer activities included gardening, trash pickup, and spreading fresh soil. They were joined by members of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation who worked alongside the students, teaching them gardening techniques while sharing what they love about the city.

"New Yorkers love their parks," Lujun Zhen (Cathy) commented. Cathy was one of the activity leaders and studies at Macau University of Science and Technology. "There are so many more than just Central Park. All of the green space is really beautiful, especially when you come across it in the middle of such a big city. It takes a lot of work to keep the parks so nice. I'm happy I could help, even if it was just a little."

Another activity leader, Nam Hei NG (Cato), was impressed by how much the group accomplished in only a few hours. "A big focus of CCIP is the idea that we are all in this together," said Cato, a student at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. "That idea is really clear when we're all working together towards a common goal like cleaning up the park. By the time we had finished for the day, the lawn looked like a brand new space."

He added, "I understand why they need volunteers, because there is too much to be done by only a few people."