By George, 8th Grade
The CYOC 2025 Fall Donation Drive was a great success! This was the second time Ruichen and I hosted the event. We organized our first donation drive in the summer of 2025, and this time Kevin also joined us as part of the organizing team. Even though we already had experience, we still learned a lot and worked even better together.
Before the Event
Because Ruichen and I had done this once before, planning felt more familiar, but it was still a lot of work. About a month before the event, the three of us started brainstorming the best ways to promote it. We handed out flyers at our schools and in our neighborhoods, and we posted information on social media. Our parents also helped share the event through their networks, which really expanded our reach.
This time, we were more organized—especially when arranging home pickups for donors who couldn’t come on the event day. Visiting different homes to collect donations made us appreciate how many people wanted to support the drive. We also set up an early drop-off station at the Chinese school the day before the event. Thanks to our previous experience, this part went very smoothly.
During the Event
The donation drive took place on November 16 at the Wootton High School parking lot. Even though it was my second time hosting, I still felt excited and a little nervous while setting up. But once volunteers arrived and we began sorting and collecting items, everything came together quickly.
With experience from last time, we divided tasks more efficiently. We were mainly in charge of directing the flow of the event, tracking volunteer hours, and logging all the donated items. Together with other volunteers we also helped unload cars, greet donors, and sort donations.
By the end of the day, we had collected more than 10,000 items, and the big So What Else truck was completely full! Loading the truck was a big task—it required careful planning, teamwork, and the right tools. Volunteers worked together to move heavy boxes safely and stack items so nothing would get damaged. Seeing the truck full and ready for delivery made me realize how much good our community can do when everyone works together.
After the Event
After the drive ended, we calculated volunteer hours for each participant and wrote reports summarizing the event. These tasks weren’t as exciting as the event itself, but they were important, and I’m glad we worked together to complete them.
What I Learned This Time
Even though it was my second year helping host the donation drive, I still learned a lot:
- Teamwork is powerful. With three organizers working together, everything felt smoother and more organized.
- Experience builds confidence. I felt more prepared and more comfortable taking responsibility than last time.
- Serving the community is meaningful. Seeing how much we collected made me proud of our team and community.
- Leadership grows through practice. Working with Ruichen and Kevin taught me how to communicate better and divide tasks fairly.
Thank You to Our Volunteers
I want to give a huge thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible. Whether you were unloading cars, sorting donations, stacking boxes, greeting donors— your energy, enthusiasm, and hard work made a real difference. Together, you turned a plan into action, and your willingness to help is what made this drive so successful.
Conclusion
Hosting the CYOC donation drive for the second time made this event even more successful and meaningful. Collecting over 10,000 items and filling the truck completely showed me the impact we can make as a team. These donations will be donated to So What Else, a nonprofit that improves the lives of children and families in underserved communities in Maryland and Washington, D.C. by providing food security, access to basic necessities, and high-quality out-of-school programs.
I’m proud of what our team accomplished, and I hope we can keep improving and continue helping our community in future events.
Website Editor: Sophia Wang
华府青年 CYOC 
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