History of Marin Chapter

Marin Chapter History

The Marin Chapter has been in existence since 1971. Anne Kimball of Marin was the first and the only Marin teenager to travel to Central America with AMIGOS in the summer of 1970 to conduct inoculation clinics in Honduras. She commuted to San Mateo that year to train, but the following year her enthusiasm led her to the enlistment of 15 Marin teens and the formation of the Marin Chapter. Since then, we have sent nearly 1,000 volunteers into the field, and continue to have one of the largest, strongest chapters in the country. Chapters come and go, but at this date there are 31 chapters nationwide. (See list of chapters on the International Amigos site.)

Our chapter is organized and supervised by a dedicated Board of Directors, consisting of parents of volunteers, veteran volunteers and interested professional staff. We hold monthly meetings and anyone interested in becoming a board member is welcome and should contact the Board President.

Each year about 30-40 new volunteers are selected to train for the summer program. Volunteers come from almost all the local high schools including, Tam, Redwood, Drake, Terra Linda, Branson, Marin Academy, Marin Catholic, St. Ignatius, University, Lowell, Drew, Urban and others. Anyone is welcome. Recruitment begins in the early fall when returned volunteers give informal presentations at their schools, most often to the Spanish classes. 

The Training Program is fairly intense and requires a mature, focused volunteer. We are looking for teens with good organizational skills who possess a desire to develop leadership qualities in the area of public health and community development. You must be 16 years of age by September 1st of the summer you travel and have at least two years of high school Spanish or the equivalent.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has...” -- Margaret Mead