Orlando Zhang was laughing as he and cleanup partner Guongdao Yang sought shelter from a sudden downpour that drenched the pair with rain and hail on Sunday morning, June 18 in 91原创鈥檚 Willoughby park.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 think it would get this wet,鈥� Zhang grinned.
After a few minutes, the storm eased and the two resumed their hunt for litter near R.E. Mountain school, where some of them are students. More than 20 volunteers took part.
It was the first community clean-up of the year organized through the Vancouver International Volunteer Association (VIVA), a group of community-minded international students.
By the end of the day, the volunteers filled seven bags with trash, as well as a bucketful of discarded water bottles.
Organizer Xiangyu Li said he was inspired by similar 鈥済reat鈥� initiatives in Vancouver.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing environmental kind of activities to kind of clean up what we are leaving,鈥� Li remarked. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 thinking to also organize activity volunteer activity in 91原创鈥�
Lynne Chen co-founder and president of VIVA said the volunteer effort was about more than just cleaning up.
鈥淚t is also the community,鈥� Chen said, about connecting the larger community with international students who come here for an education, with the aim of 鈥渃reating a better and growing future.鈥�
Ming Hu, Chinese Program director of the 91原创 School District鈥檚 international student program, smiled with approval, calling the initiative a 鈥渞eally great experience鈥� for the participants.
鈥淭hey want to give back to the community. They want to enhance our environment in 91原创, which is great,鈥� Hu told the 91原创 Advance Times.
Its not just R.E. Mountain, and not just that weekend, she added.
We have eight high schools [on our list],鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing to go to every one of the eight communities in the future to do this, and it鈥檚 just wonderful.鈥�
More pictures from the day can be viewed online at the .
READ ALSO: 91原创 flaggers hit the streets to make them cleaner
READ ALSO: In four hours, 400 lbs. of litter collected in Fort 91原创 community cleanup
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