From the Archives

With more than 40 years of facilitating quality youth programs, AMIGOS boasts a successful and interesting history. From the first summer in Honduras in 1965 to facilitating programs in eight Latin American countries in 2008, many people and events have shaped the vision and impact of AMIGOS. We invite you to explore this section, learn more about our history, and maybe even relive an adventure or two of your own! If you have a picture, story, or article to share, please email abecker@amigoslink.org.

Stories and Pictures by Decade

View newspaper articles, pictures, and stories from the past by clicking on the decade in which you are interested:

Archives from: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s.

Featured Picture

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20-year-old Diane Lorence administers vaccines in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, in 1976. Her experience vaccinating Latin American community members in a rural town of about 8,000 people that summer forever changed her life. Diane and her partner administered at least 3,200 vaccines in three and a half weeks and formed meaningful bonds with the community. Diane went on to attend medical school in Poland and to become a successful Family Practice doctor in the San Francisco Bay area. She was awarded the Philip C. Johnson III Veteran Service Award in 2007 for her continued service to AMIGOS as the International Medical Director and for being active at the chapter level for many years. Diane also has two sons that were AMIGOS Volunteers.
AMIGOS Voices

“As a teacher, I hope when my students are old enough they will be able to have the opportunity to participate with AMIGOS and go through the AMIGOS experience. That is why I continue to support AMIGOS. I believe in it and know how it changed me and I would like to see the next generation be able to have those same experiences.”

–Vanessa Gartrell, Bilingual Third Grade Teacher