Dear Friends and Family,

I am so excited to tell you about my plans to volunteer in Latin America this summer with Amigos de las Americas!

I will be volunteering with the Olas y Cerros project  in Costa Rica for 3 weeks. The overall project will focus on climate change along with supporting wildlife. 

Since its founding in 1965, AMIGOS has inspired more than 30,000 high school and college students to live a life of purpose as critically engaged citizens and leaders. Today, AMIGOS creates opportunities for young people to collaborate, design, and lead development projects based on the needs and desires of their host communities. To prepare, I am enrolled in an extensive AMIGOS training program with a group of other students from high schools up and down the South Bay and Peninsula. We are learning important skills in areas such as cultural sensitivity, community development practices, youth leadership, teaching young children, and how to protect my own health & safety. 

This summer,  I will be traveling to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and the volcanic valleys of Cartago Province, where I will be spending lots of time volunteering and getting to know Costa Rican culture! In Cartago Providence I will learn about climate change and what I can do to help. On the coast, I will also be learning about climate change along with supporting wildlife. I’ll do things like setting up sea turtle nurseries and identifying nests, and fulfilling other wildlife needs! In addition, I will spend one week staying with a Costa Rican family and volunteering in their community with anything they need! I’m so excited!

As a non-profit organization, AMIGOS relies on its participants to help raise funds each year to meet the costs of its programs. Your support will directly affect the work AMIGOS does and the community-based project that I will be working on this Summer. With your help, AMIGOS can transform us participants and our Latin American communities and have impact on both a local and a global level.

I would be very grateful for any level of support you can give. Just click on the Donate button above to donate online. Or, you can send a check made out to "Amigos de las Americas" and return it to me directly at 1023 Lincoln Court, San José, CA 95125. 

Thank you so much for your support!

Sincerely,

Sara Charles

P.S. As a 501(c)3 charity, your donation to Amigos de las Américas is tax-deductible. Many companies also offer matching funds for donations to nonprofits. Please consider matching your donation through your employer if that option is available to you