Local Youth Volunteer Group, the Songbird, Adopts Finely Avenue

In the beginning of January, a small group of middle and high school students that live in Basking Ridge decided to start a youth volunteer group, in order to give back to the community and help others by doing so. The group eventually decided on the name Songbird, because similar to the way birds communicate through song, every person has the ability to touch the hearts of many with music. The members of Songbird do not just consist of musicians, but also dancers and singers. The Songbird Youth Volunteer Group utilizes their collective love of playing instruments and the arts to start performing for local areas around the town. On March 19, the members of Songbird played string instruments, danced to contemporary music, and taught the residents sign language at the Ridge Oak Senior Housing Center. The housing center’s recreational director, Ms. Connie Ledder, was very impressed by the way Songbird interacted with the residents, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance. She is looking forward to another visit from the volunteering group during the summer.

After the performance at the housing center, the Songbird decided that the notion of volunteering extends beyond musical performances, and ultimately affects the community as a whole. On May 30th, the Somerset County Adopt-A-Road Program gave the Songbird Youth Volunteer Group the wonderful opportunity to help clean the roads of Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge. In total, there were eleven members and eight adults who attended the street cleanup. The Songbird group drove to the center of town, put on the safety vests, and began. In addition to being given all the materials beforehand, the members were also separated into groups of three, with the adults supervising and helping along the way.

The Songbird Youth Volunteer Group collected trash from downtown Basking Ridge, at the intersection of west Oak Street and Finley all the way to the entrance of Ridge High School. In total, the Songbird walked about two miles in total. The average temperature on that way was about ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. Out of all the trash that the Songbird collected, the hardest challenge that the group had to face was remembering to be safe with the glass pieces from smashed bottles that were left on the road. While heading back to the center of Basking Ridge after the work was done, the the Songbird Youth Volunteer Group carefully disposed of the garbage bags, and sat under the warm sun to cool off and relax.

Throughout the Songbird’s journey of walking around town and picking up waste, the members of the Songbird Youth Volunteering Group understood that the opportunity of helping others should never be taken for granted. Furthermore, the Songbird promises to clean the road four times every year, and hopes that the other citizens of Basking Ridge will also help to sweep the streets together. The activity coordinator of the Songbird, Charlize Chen, believes that “It is [the Songbird’s] pleasure to be able to contribute to the community and make Basking Ridge a better place, one road at a time.” During the two hours spent sweeping Finley Avenue, the Songbird Youth Volunteering Group ultimately gained insight of the importance of helping others, and had a deeper understanding of the intangible reward of giving back to the community.