BIG THANK YOU to this month’s Volunteer(s) of the Month, David and Keola! These guys really are a terrific twosome. David and Keola shared with us their AccesSurf experience and it was so great we want to share it with all of you:
“We have been surfing together for our entire lives and were first introduced to Access Surf by Dr. Ivy Nip Asano, the current admissions director at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. As pre-medical students we had been seeking out new opportunities to volunteer and AS seemed to be a perfect match. At our first day at the beach event, words can not adequately express the feeling we both had while sharing the stoke with the participants. We also felt an immediate connection with the amazing AS ohana. Seeing how the participants and volunteers work together to experience the joy of the ocean, and life in general, has been by far one of the most rewarding things of our entire lives. We have since gotten hooked and have not missed a day at the beach since. Aside from catching waves together, we love talking story with the participants and sharing our enthusiasm for life. We are however, frequently taken back when people extend appreciation for our efforts. These moments are beyond humbling as we are the ones who should really be thanking the participants at AS for being such inspirations in our own lives. Our goals are to take that same ‘Can Do’ attitude off the beach and apply it in our future interactions with patients in order to provide the best possible care down the road. Mahalo to everyone at AS for honoring us and for making such a huge difference in thousands of lives! We look forward to being lifelong members of the AS community.”
