Au Pairs Celebrate Earth Day by Cleaning up Their Host City!

In honor of Earth Day, a group of au pairs did their part to clean up their local community. San Carlos, located just outside of San Francisco, CA hosted an Annual Earth Day Clean Up. Au pairs joined their neighbors in eliminating the garbage and wildlife harming micro trash that littered the streets and parking lots. The au pairs helped beautify the town as well by planting mulch and flower beds in Harrington Park, a much-loved downtown gathering spot.

"I personally felt the Earth Day event made me more aware of how much work/effort goes into making sure the streets are clean and it's a lot of hard work. Giving back to the community is my way of saying '˜thank you' to those who do that job every day. " -South African au pair Ntokozo

It wasn't an easy morning as the volunteer group walked over two miles cleaning, but the au pairs completed their day by expressing a sense of fulfillment at having given their time and energy to help their adopted community.

Another bonus of volunteering was that the au pairs from South Africa, Brazil and Slovakia who were in attendance socialized with the local community volunteers and shared their positive experiences as part of the au pair exchange program.

"I enjoyed this event. I got chance to meet people living in this city and I realized how much we people pollute our earth." - Slovakian au pair Sylvia

"I would like to say that it was a pleasure to participate in the event! It was my first time in cleaning the city. I really liked the initiative and I believe that the transformation begins in our environment. And it encourages the future generation to adopt the same behavior." - Brazilian au pair Adriana

Local Area Director Carey could tell the girls enjoyed themselves, sharing how proud she was that the young women chose to wake up early on their Saturday morning off to pick up garbage. "It was heartwarming to see their willingness to give back to a community of which they have become a part of, with smiles on their faces."