Was there a time before Amy?!

Amy Rauch joined our AccesSurf ‘ohana in the last year and we cant even think of how we ran our program without her! She has been a strong force in leading our Transfers at our beach programs and we are so thankful for her love and dedication. If you regularly tune into our ‘Fitness for all’ program, she has hosted some really good Tai Chi work outs! Lets hear more from Amy herself…

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Amy Rauch (it rhymes with wow). I was born in Colorado but have lived all over the Unites States. I love being outdoors, doing outdoor activities, especially in the water.

 

How and when did you hear about Accessurf.

Since moving on island,, I had been looking for an adaptive outdoor recreation program to volunteer with and just happened to hear a radio ad for the Southwest Airlines fundraising auction. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and wrote down the name so I wouldn’t forget. That night I registered as a volunteer.

What does AccesSurf mean to you?

AccesSurf means joy to me. It means giving access to people to take part in the things I love.

What is your favorite AccesSurf memory:

It was a SUP event. The first one I participated in and one of the first AccessSurf had been able to do since the pandemic. A participant traveled from Arizona to be at the event. We got on the water and paddled for about 5 minutes when she said that she needed to sit down and she started crying. I thought something was wrong, but then she apologized and said “This is amazing. I never thought I’d be able to do this again.” That is the joy i was talking about.

 

Anything you want to say to our community or let them know?

Mahalo nui loa for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing community. I would do this everyday and twice on Sunday if I could.