明日之光First Step團隊參與新年慶祝活動小記

Volunteers from the First Step team participated in the Lunar New Year celebration in Atlanta

First Step團隊志願者參與亞特蘭大農曆新年慶祝活動小記

By Qiushi(Rachel) Li/李秋實

January 21, 2023 is also the Chinese Lunar New Year eve. The Spring Festival brought the biting winter a warm feeling. To celebrate the coming of the Kuimao Year, many places held Lunar New Year celebrations in Atlanta, GA. Most of the members of the First step volunteer team are Chinese-American, and they actively participate in various activities.

2023年1月21日，也是中國農曆的除夕。正當新春佳節，寒冷凜冬也多了幾分暖意。為迎接癸卯年的到來，喬治亞州亞特蘭大有多處舉行了農曆新年的慶祝活動。美中下一代教育基金會明日之光First step 志願者團隊成員都是華人/華裔孩子，踴躍的參與到各個活動中。

Gwinnett County Public School Lunar New Year Gala held up in Parkview High School, which is also the school I study in. The celebration started at 4 pm, and First Step volunteers arrived here four hours before the celebration in advance to help with the decoration of the venue. The scene was full of Chinese elements, paper umbrellas, lanterns, giant folding fans, Spring Festival couplets, all arranged by the students who participated in the activity. Volunteers had their own responsibilities, and I was in charge of the overall layout. Some of the other volunteers worked together to build the dragon model, and some had to step on tall ladders to arrange lanterns. Until the performance started, the volunteers were still working. Especially,  three volunteers participated cleaning after all the guests left. The 8-9 hour work required enthusiasm and physical strength.

Gwinnett學區的新年慶祝活動剛好在我所在高中Parkview High School舉行。晚會在下午4點開始， First Step的志願者們提前了四個小時來到現場幫忙進行場地的布置。現場中華元素滿滿，紙傘，燈籠，巨型摺扇，春聯，都是參加活動的同學們親手布置。志願者們各有職責，我被安排幫忙整體布局。其他志願者們有的齊心合力來拼建巨龍模型，有的要踩著高高的梯子布置燈籠。直到節目開始，志願者們依然忙碌。尤其有三位志願者在活動結束還參與場地清掃工作，長達8、9個小時的工作需要熱情更需要體力。

The City of Johns Creek』s Lunar New Year celebration was held at the Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater inside Newtown park. It is the first time that the event was officially supported by the Johns Creek City Government, and funded by many Chinese businesses. Since the activity was held outdoors, the temperature of the day was not suitable, and the work of the volunteers was even harder. Some people stepped on ladders to help stick the couplets on the walls, others helped to set up booths, prepare for the water-ink calligraphy textile, participated in the charity sale, and there was one volunteer who recorded this precious moment with a camera. They all did the best they could, to help the celebration provide us a beautiful memory.

另一個重要的慶祝活動是在Newtown內Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater舉辦，活動首次有Johns Creek市政府官方支持，還有眾多華人商家的資助，聲勢浩大，現場車水馬龍非常熱鬧。由於活動在在室外，當天氣溫不算適宜，志願者們的工作也是更辛苦。有人踩著梯子幫忙在柱子上貼對聯，有人幫忙布置攤位，鋪上了水寫布，擺上了毛筆，參與義賣，還有志願者參與錄製視頻，記錄這珍貴的一刻。他們各自發揮特長，各顯神通。

Some volunteers participated in the Forsyth County New Year’s celebration held at the Sharon Forks Library. Some members joined in the performance of the show, some volunteers provided various Chinese elements for the exhibition, and some volunteers helped introduce and teach the guests Chinese paper-cutting. Not only did many Chinese people enjoy the event, but it also attracted many other ethnic groups interested in Chinese culture.

還有一部分志願者參與了在 Sharon Forks Library舉辦的Forsyth County新年慶祝活動。有些成員參與了節目的表演，有些志願者為展覽提供了各種中國元素的展品，有的志願者向人們展示中國的剪紙。現場不僅有很多華人參加，也吸引了很多美國其他族裔的濃厚興趣。

A total of 17 volunteers from the First Step team helped hold up in the New Year’s celebration, the total working hours reached 168 hours. During this event, the volunteers contributed their efforts to the success of holding this event and also felt the unique charm of Chinese culture. Not only do we see the inheritance of Chinese traditions among young people, but we are also delighted to see the gradual expansion of Chinese influence in the United States. We are also working hard to promote Chinese traditional culture and make this influence more profound!

這次的新年慶祝活動first Step 團隊共有17名志願者參與，工作總時長達到168小時。這次活動中，志願者們為活動的順利舉行貢獻了自己的力量，在整個過程中也深刻的感受到中國文化的獨特魅力。我們不僅感受到中華傳統在年輕人身上的傳承，更欣喜地看到了華人在美國影響力的逐步擴大，我們也在努力弘揚中華傳統文化，讓這種影響更加深遠！