Author: qqfoxmail

By: George Wang

Over the past 14 weeks, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering every Monday evening for the Happy Seniors English Club, an online English-learning program hosted by the Chinese American Community Health Services (CACHS) and supported by volunteers from CYOC (Chinese Youth of the Capital). Funded by the Montgomery County Government, this program is designed specifically to support Chinese seniors (age 60 and above) in improving their English, adapting to American life, and building stronger connections with their grandchildren born in the U.S.

By: Edward Ye

I volunteered with the CYOC over the last 12 weeks in the CACHS 2025 English Club program, by teaching the elderly English every Monday evening. During my first lesson though, I found myself quite anxious; I was very shy, and my Chinese was not proficient at all! I needed extra help from my parents to read and translate Chinese words for me throughout the first few lessons. Despite my shortcomings, the seniors were kind, patient, and always able to understand my broken Chinese – some seniors had studied ahead of time and could also comprehend my English speech. They were earnest about studying English, and I noticed that some even took notes. I was amazed at how dedicated they were at studying English, choosing to sacrifice their leisure time. Over the next 40 minutes I read English texts with them, assisted them with pronunciations and vocabulary, and at the end of class, I could tell that their speaking had considerably improved.

By: Ruichen Feng

As a member of the Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC), I began volunteering in May to teach English to senior Chinese learners—many of whom had little prior experience with either English or online learning. What began as a weekly commitment soon became a deeply meaningful journey that reshaped my understanding of communication, empathy, and the true spirit of education.