ASMS Students Enjoy Weekly Volunteering at Dumas Wesley Community Center

Written by Julia Schwartz, ASMS junior from Madison County

For three years, ASMS has been partnering with the Dumas Wesley Community Center to assist with their youth program. Dumas Wesley is an organization that serves community members in Mobile with a mission to ”Educate, Empower, and Enrich” (www.dumaswesley.org). Once a week, 5-10 ASMS students visit the center to assist in the After School Achievement Program (ASAP). ASAP provides STEAM workshops, tutoring help, and fun activities to school-aged children 5 days a week.

The children at Dumas look forward to the ASMS students arriving every Thursday. “It’s really cool. Every time you walk in, they say, ‘You’re here!’” said YangHong Chi, a sophomore who has been volunteering at Dumas each week.

It is fun for the ASMS students, too. Derek Ricafort, a sophomore, loves to socialize and play sports with the participants. “A lot of those kids are really great at basketball! They can play! They can guard! They can put their defense on me! It shows how they love playing with us. They’re really great people to know more,” he said. Breanna Gaillard began volunteering at Dumas last year and even worked there over the summer. She also enjoys a wide range of activities at the program. “The kids are really fun. They’re all very different personalities,” she said.

For ASMS leadership, this effort is part of ASMS’s commitment to the community, providing opportunities for both ASMS students and local children. ASMS President, Dr. John Hoyle, goes with the ASMS students to volunteer each week. ASMS history professor, Mr. Derek Barry, recently started volunteering too. He said, “It’s fun for us, and it makes you feel like you’re doing something nice and bringing joy to someone else.”

ASMS and Dumas Wesley are looking for volunteers, so if this sounds fun, consider joining their team next year! For volunteers like Derek Ricafort, the opportunity goes far beyond the service hours earned. “When it comes to ASMS students, we’re really committed to doing it not for the service hours, but for them. You see them as your friends. It makes us want to go more for them,” said Derek.