I am 15-years-old and I have been coming to Compass for many years now. I’m growing up in a Hispanic household, and grew up only speaking Spanish. When I started Kindergarten, I didn’t know English like other kids. Compass started when I was in 2nd grade, and I had the honor of starting with this amazing organization. It helped me learn English way faster then what a child would without extra support. I see this group grow every year, and I grow as a person within it.
Compass has helped me become a better person. It has helped me in my hardest time in life. The volunteers are amazing people. They helped bring my grades up when they were their lowest, and now I am doing very well as a high school student. It encourages me that they volunteer a few hours of their day, every week, when they could be doing anything else. Some of them have been helping since I was a 2nd grader! I am a Hispanic girl, and the world can be a cruel place, but I know when I walk through the Compass doors I’m safe. This is true for everyone, no matter their religion or skin color. Everyone is welcome at Compass. The Compass family is my second family. Everyone in this organization is supportive, loving, and caring.
Compass has been a blessing for me, my sisters, my parents, and for everyone that has been in the program. It has personally helped me stay on the correct path in my life and keep me from bad influences and activities that this world has to offer. It’s just such a blessing to me and my family. I don’t know where I’d be without Compass. Now that school isn’t an issue for me anymore, I am grateful to be working with the little kids and watching them grow like I did. It is a privilege God has given me. God can and does great things through Compass!
High School Sophomore