YASM at East Peoria riverfront cleanup, 2024.

By Robert Rowe

Our Heart of Illinois region is blessed in having organizations that share similar values. One such group is the Peoria Area Young Adult Social Meetup (YASM.) Alexander Chan, coordinator of YASM helped promote our recent program on clean buildings. By cooperating in announcing activities, programs, and social events, we can bring more people together. We talked with Alex during our meeting at the Carver Center this month about ways we can work together. 

Sierra Club and YASM volunteers have worked together on several community service projects this year, including a Mackinaw River Clean-Up and East Peoria Riverfront Cleanup and native plant restoration efforts at Rocky Glen Park.  

Alex Chan (left), Robert Rowe (right), and other YASM volunteers at the Mackinaw River cleanup.

YASM’s mission is to give back to those in need, whether through donations or acts of service, to both our members and the community. These may include painting a veteran’s home, cleaning up trails, or donating to a local soup kitchen. YASM strives to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy like-minded interests, which may include hiking, kayaking or indoor game or movie nights. They want to inspire their members to take action when they see a problem. Alex noted “We saw a lot of plastic while going on hikes, leading to our annual river clean-up events.”

We look forward to more opportunities to collaborate activities in the coming year.  For more information, contact Alexander Chan at clublife.peoria@gmail.com  or at Peoria Area Young Adult Social Meetup.