2018/05/20�� Tzu Chi West Toronto��

73 volunteers, including students and parents from the Tzu Chi Academy of Mississauga, gathered at the entrance of the garden early in the morning to spruce things up. The Greater Toronto Area suffered squally winds in early May this year. Roofs and fences of many houses were destroyed, and damaged power lines caused outages and chaos on the roads. At the Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens located in the southwestern part of Mississauga along the shores of Lake Ontario, many 100-year-old trees could not withstand the brutal gusts of wind. Having helped to preserve the gardens for the past 10 years, Tzu Chi West Toronto was devastated to learn that plants and trees at the gardens had been destroyed.

On May 20, the Sunday of the Victoria Day long weekend, 73 volunteers, including students and parents from the Tzu Chi Academy of Mississauga, gathered at the entrance of the garden early in the morning to spruce things up. They divided and conquered, with one group picking up the garbage and separating them from recyclables such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and another group weeding from flower beds.

Volunteer David Tang leads a stretching exercise to prevent injury.Many residents came out to the garden that day to enjoy the nice weather; when they saw Tzu Chi volunteers hard at work to preserve their public garden, they showed their gratitude with smiles and warm greetings. Park Administrator Para Kanp also greeted the volunteers with enthusiasm. ���I worked at this garden ten years ago when you adopted it, and then I was transferred to other parks. I just returned this year. I always remember you.��� Volunteer Grace Yang, who has been actively participating at cleaning up the garden in the past ten years, was as excited to see Para, saying ���I remember you too!���

The mission was accomplished in only two hours, removing tons of discarded materials. David Culham, a long-time volunteer serving at the garden, said: "It's incredible! You have completed at least a week of work for me." He also commended Tzu Chi for taking the opportunity to educate the next generation. Every time he would see generations of Tzu Chi volunteers working together to protect the earth and preserve our environment.

Among the volunteers were a group of high school students who were participating for the first time. They felt that bending down to remove garbage and weeds was tough, but ultimately meaningful work.

The importance of this mission is to remind us of how vulnerable we are to the natural and man-made damages to our environment. All of us should do our part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

A father and son from the Tzu Chi Academy of Mississauga work together to remove weeds.��Volunteers pick up and sort waste along the water

A happy reunion after 10 years. (L-R: Para Kanp, Grace Yang, and David Culham)��These high school students���all first-time volunteers��� work hard to accomplish the mission.

Parents leading by example, showing their children how the tasks should be done.