By Shelly Clark
Rossmoor Community Services District and The Youth Center partnered together at Rush Park on Arbor Day to host a celebration for the community. There was a ceremony recognizing the importance of caring for our planet and a tree planting at the park.
During the ceremony, six students from The Youth Center (Maddyson Lockhart, Sebastian Gadea, Efron Zhou, Daniel Lumme, Alex Castillo, and Veratti Sanchez) were invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. “I was really nervous,” expressed Lockhart about the experience, “but it’s done now.”
After the ceremony, over 40 children from The Youth Center worked together with Mary Kingman, District Arborist, to plant a new tree at the park. The Youth Center’s students were ecstatic to be able to spend the day outside in the beautiful park, join in a raffle hosted by RCSD, and participate in an animal and tree themed scavenger hunt. The Youth Center also offered a bird feeder craft activity to all its students and members of the general public.
Courtesy photo
Five year old Lily Schmidt said “my favorite part was spending time with my friends and the staff learning about trees.” Students also were very excited about the raffle and scavenger hunt. Winners of both events were awarded small trees to take home and plant courtesy of RCSD. Stella Ara, age 6, expressed “I won an avocado tree for first place in the raffle!”
After a full afternoon, students were rushing to tell their parents all they had learned during the event. Eliana Jasic, 11, explained “I learned a lot of animals can live in trees.” Events like these hosted by RCSD and The Youth Center teach incredible life long lessons about an appreciation of the world around us.
Rossmoor Community Services District is located in the Community of Rossmoor in Orange County, California. Approximately 10,500 residents make their home in this unincorporated bedroom community located behind a signature brick wall situated between the cities of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos. The Special District of Rossmoor is governed by a five member Board of Directors, who are elected by the residents of Rossmoor and operates under the supervision of a General Manager. Rossmoor is known for its splendid urban forest, beautiful homes and strong family values.
For more information about programs, visit www.TheYouthCenter.org.