With almost 25 years under its belt, Kids Unlimited has been the embodiment of Empowerment Through Opportunity serving the community by providing opportunities to kids despite their backgrounds and economic limitations. For that, we wanted to celebrate this profound organization’s importance and impact in the Rogue Valley by featuring not one but two Kids Unlimited alumni, Diego Becerra and Daniela Vargas.
Diego and Daniela, who have been a part of the after-school program since the 1st grade, shared how KU has positively impacted their lives. They both have memorable moments they still hold dear, including field trips, enrichments, and creating friendships with the staff. Daniela says the same team were the ones that made Kids Unlimited enjoyable and are why she came back every year. Not only were the staff meaningful, but also the differing enrichment activities they enjoyed, such as iron beads and soccer. During the 2014 World Cup, the staff at Diego’s site location were friendly enough to hold a mock World Cup for them.
Not only did we want to share their memorable moments but also how Kids Unlimited made a difference in their lives. With Diego, Kids Unlimited was his entire childhood as he attended KU summer camps and after-school programs. For Daniela, it allowed her to experience different activities and see the world. For instance, she learned how to roller skate, how to swim, and visited Crater Lake. She liked that the program focused on educating students but also having fun. It allowed her to work on her English since she wasn’t able to speak it fluently at the time.
As Diego is pursuing a degree in Human Physiology and a double minor in Italian and Chemistry at the University of Oregon, his cousin, Daniela, is majoring in nursing and minoring in Spanish. Yet, both took their time this year to volunteer during our summer camp. Both have gone through the after-school programs together. Giving back felt like the right thing to do. Daniela says, “At the end of the day, all that matters is each kid feels heard and knows they are loved despite what they are going through in their life. For this reason, I decided to come back to Kids Unlimited. I want to ensure each kiddo knows that Kids Unlimited can be their family.”