難忘的海濱暑假

前言

2020年11月，美中下一代基金會明日之光公益獎平台正式成立並得到華人社區的積極響應。平台的職責之一是傳播各個團隊的事迹和經驗，共大家學習，交流和參考。暑期已經過去，孩子們又回到了學校。與此同時，各個團隊也開始了定期或不定期的公益活動。不少孩子剛剛步入中學的家長和學生本人不太清楚公益活動該從何做起。我們將陸續介紹我們團隊家長和學生的寶貴經驗。

下面這篇文章是由明日之光First Step發起者Annie Lin（林佳音）講述她和妹妹Chloe Lin（林青青）及朋友們如何度過一個難忘的夏天。

難忘的海濱暑假

林佳音 (英文作者)       林青青 (中文翻譯)

This summer, my family and I stayed at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SKIO) near Savannah where my mom had her sabbatical. I was away from Atlanta and my First Step team; however, it did not stop me and my sister Chloe from joining our friends remotely to pick up trash on the campus. The small amount of garbage there pleasantly surprised us. The students, faculty and staff of SKIO must have a great sense of protecting the environment of their campus and keeping it clean.

今年夏天，因為媽媽在Savannah附近的Skidaway海洋學院作訪問學者，我們全家在那裡住了兩個月。雖然離開了亞特蘭大和First Step團隊，但是這並沒有阻止我和妹妹Chloe遠程加入我們的朋友，通過撿拾校園裡的垃圾來清潔環境。我們很高興地發現那裡的垃圾非常少， 海洋學院的學生和教職員工們一定都很有保護校園清潔環境的意識。

We also went to Cumberland Island, which is one of the barrier islands along Georgia coast. On the island, we saw wild horses, ruins of an old mansion, and a beautiful pristine beach. There are no dumpsters on Cumberland Island, all visitors are required to pack up their trash and bring it back. Although the park rangers clearly explained the rules, we still found quite some trash, mostly food packaging under the boardwalk and around picnic tables. Angela, Sophie, Chloe and I collected two big bags. Unfortunately, we could not do more because we had to catch the ferry boat back.

     我們還去了Cumberland島。在島上，我們看到了野馬、古宅遺址和美麗的原始海灘。Cumberland島上沒有垃圾箱，所有遊客都必須把垃圾打包並帶回去。儘管州立公園的工作人員清楚地解釋了規則，但我們仍然發現了一些垃圾，主要是木板路下和野餐桌周圍的食品包裝。Angela, Sophie, Chloe和我一路走一路收集了兩個大袋子。可惜的是，因為我們不得不趕回渡船，所以沒時間多撿。

Compared with Cumberland Island, Tybee Island beach is much more populated because it is a shorter drive from Savannah. When Shawn and Shana』s family came to visit us, we went to play on the south beach of Tybee Island. We saw many people and lots of trash too! We collected a few bags of cans, cups, bottles, straws and abandoned plastic toys in just half an hour.

與Cumberland島相比，距離Savannah很近的Tybee島海灘的人口要多得多。Shawn和Shana全家來看我們的時候，大家就一起去Tybee島的南海灘玩。我們看到了很多人，也看到了很多垃圾！我們在短短的半小時內就收集了好幾袋空罐頭、飲料杯、瓶子、吸管和被扔掉的塑料玩具。

Angela, Sophie, Chloe and I also went to downtown Savannah to raise money for the Salvation Army. We put on a show at the riverfront. Chloe and I played violin, Sophie played flute, and Angela sang a few songs. Many people showed their appreciation and donated money, and we raised $32. Some of us were a little nervous at the beginning but soon became comfortable. Really, it was fun to be with friends, and I felt great when we brought out the generosity in people.

Angela, Sophie, Chloe和我還去了Savannah市中心為Salvation Army籌集資金。我們在河邊表演節目：我和Chloe拉小提琴，Sophie吹長笛，Angela唱了幾首歌。許多人表示感謝並捐款，我們一共籌集了 32 美元。剛開始我們都有點緊張，但很快就適應了。真的，和朋友們在一起總是特別有趣也不害怕。當我們把人們的慷慨和善良帶動出來的時候，我感覺很棒。

I had another very special volunteer experience this summer: I was a junior counselor at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center summer camp. I worked with a group of kids in 2nd and 3rd grade. My job was to help the teacher by preparing materials, organizing activities, and making sure all kids were together and safe when we were outdoors on a trail. Sometimes the job can be challenging because not all kids listened, but working with kids is actually quite rewarding. I remember one day I bought some fish food with my own money and distributed them among some of the kids. They had so much fun feeding the turtles and fish in a pond, and I was so satisfied watching them laughing and playing. Of course, I did it again the next day!

今年夏天，我還有另一段非常特別的志願者經歷：我是Oatland島野生動物中心夏令營的小顧問。我的工作是幫助老師準備材料，組織活動，並在戶外散步時照看所有的孩子，確保他們的安全。這項工作有時會很有挑戰性，因為這是一個七到八歲的班，並非所有的孩子都聽話。但是相信我，和他們在一起是非常快樂的。記得有一天，我用自己的錢買了一些魚食分發給二十個孩子。他們在池塘邊喂烏龜和魚，玩得好開心！看著他們笑和玩耍，我特別滿足。所以第二天我準備好幾個硬幣，又帶他們去了一次。

It was an unforgettable summer, because I contributed my service and I learned a lot.

這是一個難忘的暑假，因為我做了很多好事，學到了很多東西，也記住了這些美麗的地方。