During our 25th Anniversary celebration, we are introducing you to the former and current members of the ACCESO Amigos Club through which events are held to create an atmosphere of international friendship and education among elementary-aged children and are co-facilitated by youth volunteers. This month meet Ana, an exuberant former Amigos Club member who cares deeply about empowering others and who is always eager to be involved in her local and global communities.
Looking back on my experiences with ACCESO International, a lot of awesome memories come to mind of volunteering as a kid alongside vibrant and kind people. I was introduced to ACCESO International through my mom, who began volunteering after she met Christine at a birthday party and heard about the great work being done in the Dominican Republic. Mom thought this would be a great opportunity for my brother and I to get involved with our Ottawa community while giving back to our community in the Dominican Republic. I will always be grateful that mom made the decision to include us in her work with ACCESO.
By participating in the Amigos Club and Sounds & Tastes events, ACCESO has taught me that volunteering can be a fun and humbling learning experience. I have learned that people thrive when we work together to remove barriers, we create opportunities that empower folks, and when we celebrate each other. ACCESO captures all of this in their collaboration with local organizations and communities to provide folks with access to education, informative workshops, libraries and schools with playgrounds within Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. ACCESO recognizes and applauds all the hard work and success of the projects mentioned above, as well as each student ACCESO has sponsored over the years.
Cheers to ACCESO for reaching the quarter century milestone and to everyone involved along the way!
Ana
