Name:  Ali Totta
Age: 15
Birth Country: USA (Yarmouth, ME)
Volunteer Position: Safe Passage Team Member

I was thirteen years old and traveling to Guatemala during my school vacation without much understanding of the environment I would soon be facing.  Our first day on site was spent with Hanley touring the neighborhoods that she was in the process of transforming.  That morning I discovered a passion that I have felt ever since for the children attending Safe Passage.  I loved that week in Guatemala.  I returned to school and told everyone I knew about my experience.  I begged my parents to take me back.  Fourteen months later, I found myself in the Guaderia with five of my best friends, and all of our moms.  It was at the end of that second week spent in Guatemala that I discovered how important this program is to me and how it would remain a part of my life in Maine.

I am so grateful to live in a community that has a strong connection to Safe Passage because there are so many different ways to be involved outside of Guatemala.  I am currently a student at Yarmouth High School and a member of the school’s Safe Passage Club.  The members of this club raise awareness and support for the program through Guatemalan jewelry sales, school supplies collections, and other local events.  From running in the Safe Passage road race, to stuffing envelopes in the program’s local office, or simply corresponding with my family’s sponsored children, I feel connected to something influential and important in the hearts of so many around the world.

Safe Passage has helped me to find in myself passion to help others.  As a sophomore in high school, I have a lot ahead of me and Safe Passage will always be important to me.  I know I will return to Guatemala and I hope to spend longer than a week with the children next time.  It is the appreciation that the children express that I find most rewarding.  They are grateful for everything from a hug to the opportunity for education, which are things that people like me often take for granted.  I volunteer at Safe Passage because it is a rewarding experience most importantly for the children, and also for me.