Anyssa and Will Eng are a daughter and father duo who volunteer with the King County Parks Volunteer program. Anyssa originally got involved with King County Parks as a paid intern with Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). After being introduced to forest restoration, Anyssa joined our public volunteer events with her father and sometimes her sister too! Recently, we caught up with Anyssa and her father to learn more about their experience volunteering as a family.
Anyssa, could you please tell us about volunteering with King County Parks:
Anyssa: I was a King County Parks Volunteer during my sophomore and junior year of high school. Especially during my junior year, I was at events early to help set up and there late to help clean up, doing over thirty hours (about ten or so events) during that school year. I’ve volunteered all over the county, from Woodinville to White Center to Skyway. I loved volunteering the most at the Soos Creek Park, connecting with the Friends of Soos Creek, who have served the area long enough to see trees go from saplings to reaching the sky. I’ve also loved volunteering at White Center Parks, where my King County Parks Youth Conservation Corps internship helped do conservation. Along with my dad and I, my sister Sophia was a fun part of our volunteer events.
Anyssa, how did the YCC program influence your volunteering experiences? Did it give you any useful skills that cross-transferred?
Anyssa: My YCC program experience first and foremost introduced me to King County Parks, leading me to become a volunteer. The program helped me to learn about plant identification, plant removal, planting, and most importantly opened up my eyes to how much of an impact parks volunteers can have on their community. Both the YCC and the Parks’s volunteer program has inspired me to continue pursuing caring for the planet and public service, which I also hope to do for others in my life.
What motivated you to volunteer together? And why did you want to volunteer at King County Restoration events?
Will: My mother introduced me to local parks at an early age as she worked for the City of Seattle Parks Department. I had a lot of fond memories as we explored the parks together as a family. I carried this forward by introducing my friends and family to new parks that I discovered along the way and when I found out my daughter was interested in volunteering for King County Restoration events, I wanted to give back by helping out wherever I can so the parks can be enjoyed by others.
Anyssa: My dad and I ended up volunteering together through me introducing him to the program along with him being my ride, sometimes to places more than an hour from our home. His support of my service led him to being a volunteer too, giving us a chance to spend our weekends doing something impactful beyond ourselves together. I wanted to volunteer at King County Parks after being part of its Youth Conservation Corp, where I grew to see how many different services parks provide and how important they are to help flourish.
What did you like about volunteering together? Did you learn anything new about each other from volunteering together?
Will: Volunteering with my daughter allowed me to form a bond with her, one where we can share in a common cause, and allowed me to demonstrate my support for her passion in environmental studies. I got first-hand experience about Anyssa’s passion and drive in this area at these events.
Anyssa: I loved volunteering with my dad as we got to find something new to share, and I was reminded how much he cares about supporting my passions. I also saw how much he cares about doing good and his best in everything he does, especially when it comes to helping others.
What should youth or families know about joining a restoration event? What advice would you give to a prospective volunteer?
Will: If you are a little hesitant about volunteering by yourself, don’t be as there are plenty of other volunteers who are friendly and welcoming. You will have opportunities to meet others, share stories with each other, which makes the events fun and social. Bring your friends, family, coworkers as each of these events are a great way to bond with each other for a positive cause.
Anyssa: No matter your experience level when it comes to restoration, volunteering is an amazing experience. Within events, there will always be someone to guide you, often including other more experienced volunteers too, and stories to learn about at all the parks you go to. Restoration events can also help you to learn about other events parks have that you might not have known about otherwise. Although supplies are provided, make sure to check the weather before your event, as we do work rain or shine.
What is a favorite memory from a volunteer event?
Will: I don’t have one specific favorite memory but I enjoyed all the moments volunteering with my daughter where we planted vegetation, cleared out invasive plants, and later on returned back to the park with the rest of my family where we shared stories with pride in our contributions.
Anyssa: My favorite memory from a volunteer event was hearing about all the work Friends of Soos Creek have done. Over the last few decades, they’ve been there to help protect, expand, and conserve parks and trails along the creek. Getting to work with them has made me even more proud to be a parks volunteer, reminded how the seemingly small actions over a lifetime can create a lasting, positive impact on your community.
What did the event leaders do to make you feel welcome as a youth and a family at the events?
Will: The event leaders always started the event with introductions with each of the volunteers. It was a great way to meet others who are keen on maintaining the parks and ultimately the environment. There were a good mix of new volunteers and veteran volunteers who shared their experiences, stories, and pride in what they have accomplished.
Anyssa: Along with introductions, the event leaders would always be open to answering questions after starting with demos and how to’s, coming with patience and understanding. With a wide spectrum of age ranges at events, I saw how the coordinators were always apt to reach everyone in building understanding of conservation. I saw this through my dad and young sister who went from newbies to experienced volunteers, showing how much the leaders helped them to grow.
Feeling inspired by Anyssa and Will? Come join us at an upcoming volunteer event. There’s no age minimum for our volunteer events. People of all ages are welcome and we love seeing multiple generations working alongside each other. We provide tools, supplies and gloves sized adult extra-small to extra-large. We also are flexible and understand that you may not be able to stay for the whole event time, we just ask all participants to arrive for the beginning of the event to learn the plan for the day, learn how to safely do the tasks, and meet each other.
Our events are great ways for youth to get credit hours for different service projects. We also provide opportunities for career connections where youth can have informal conversations with our event leaders about careers and education in natural resources and restoration. We hope to see you and your family out in a park soon!