Article in the Brampton Guardian
On Friday July 14, 2006, an article about ACCESS has been included in the Lifestyle & People section of The Brampton Guardian in their Weekend issue. The article is based on an interview with Daniel Francavilla with quotes from school chaplain Tony Whelan and Father Wayne Manne. It explains the work of the charity and how it got started.
» Unlikely Hero to the Rescue [Full Story]
By Shawn Lawrence | The Brampton Guardian | Saturday July 15, 2006
In a time when the world needs heroes, 15 year-old Brampton resident Daniel Francavilla heard the call. The St. Marguerite D'Youville student recently created a unique charity, the sole function of which is to bring aid to less fortunate children living in the Dominican Republic by providing them school uniforms and other supplies.
Article about ACCESS in The Catholic Register
On Friday June 30 2006, an article about Daniel Francavilla's involvement in ACCESS was printed in The Catholic Register. The article was entitled "Poverty moves student to action", and is also available online. The article talks about what Daniel witnessed while in the Dominican Republic and how he was inspired to help out.
Youth Speak News » Poverty Moves Student to Action
By Sara Loftson | The Catholic Register | Friday June 30, 2006
June 30, 2006: Starting a charity for children in the developing world is not an average pastime for most young people. Daniel Francavilla is not your average youth.
Presentation at St. Charles Garnier School
On Wednesday June 28, 2006 St. Charles Garnier Elementary School in Mississauga, Ontario was visited by guest-speaker Daniel Francavilla. As this was the second-last day of school, it was the last presentation of the school year. The presentation focused on the theme of Social Justice, relating to the situation in the Dominican Republic. The presentation, discussing the events of the Dominican Republic Exposure Trip, was seen by the school's grades four through eight students. Many of the students showed interest and asked important questions. Special thank-you to the Principal who invited Daniel to speak at his school.
Our Lady of Providence School Presentation
On Friday June 23, 2006, Daniel Francavilla and Michael Onabolu presented to the grade seven and eight students of Our Lady of Providence Elementary School in Brampton.
The name of the school Our Lady of Providence is interestingly tied to the Dominican Republic, because one of the local schools started by the Grey Sisters in Consuelo, Dominican Republic is called Divina Providencia, meaning Divine Providence. These both refer to the same person.
The presentation included background information about the Dominican Republic, a slideshow of the Dominican Republic Exposure Experience, video clips, followed by questions and an introduction to ACCESS. Thank you to the teachers who arranged this presentation and to the students who helped set up.
Family Raises Money for ACCESS
Siblings Bianca and Christian Malatesta, students at Robert J. Lee Public School, were inspired to do something themselves to help the children of the Dominican Republic, after learning about the exposure trip.
These two students decided to host a cookie bake sale for the teachers at their school (Robert J. Lee, Brampton). It took a family effort, with their father baking and their mother helping to sell, to raise $90. In addition to this fundraiser, these two determined students wanted to give more money, and were generous enough to donate the money they received as gifts for Easter.
Combined with their God sister Katarina’s gift money, the three students raised a total of $400 to donate to ACCESS. This donation is much appreciated and these students and their parents are to be admired for their generosity and dedication to helping children become educated. Thank you!
Charity featured on TheBramptonNews.com
On Monday, June 19, 2006 an article about ACCESS was included on TheBramptonNews.com, an online news source for all the news in and around Brampton, Ontario. The article was featured on their homepage under the Featured Articles section.
Featured Articles » Brampton Student Starts Charity...$8,500 Raised
By Community Notes | Published June 19 | Community News
Daniel Francavilla, a grade 10 student from Brampton, started a charitable organization called ACCESS - "Allowing Children a Chance at Education with School Supplies" after traveling to the Dominican Republic in early 2006 for a Dominican Republic Exposure Experience. $8,500 has been raised so far.
Money Presented to Grey Sisters
On May 14, 2006, a cheque of $8,000 was presented to the Grey Sisters (from Pembroke, Ontario) at St. Marguerite d'Youville Church in Brampton.
The money will be sent directly to the Dominican Republic, where the Grey Sisters are stationed. There, it will be distributed it accordingly, making use of 100% of the funds to provide school uniforms for the children of the bateyes.
The Grey Sisters are also stationed in Consuelo, Dominican Republic, and work closely with several schools on and around the poor bateyes.
Successful Presentation at Superintendent's Meeting
On April 15th, 2006 I was given the honour to present at a meeting held at Accession of Our Lord Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. The presentation included the homily previously presented at St. Marguerite d’Youville church as well as pictures of the people of Dominican Republic. In attendance were the administrators and other staff of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, who were exposed to the Dominican Republic trip experience. This served as an excellent source of exposure for ACCESS and for the needs that are present in the Dominican Republic.
Grade 3 Class Donates Uniform
After listening to a brief talk about the experiences of the Dominican Republic Exposure Program, a grade three class took the initiative to make a contribution. After being made aware of the poverty that exists in the world, Mrs. Fernendes and her third grade class at Our Lady of Providence Elementary School raised enough money to purchase a uniform for one child in the Dominican Republic. Congratulations on your efforts and thank you!
Speech & Collection at St. Marguerite d’Youville Church
During the weekend of March 4th and 5th, 2006, Daniel made a 15 minute verbal and visual presentation at all Masses. A collection was set up for the parishioners and community after each of the five masses. Members and visitors of St. Marguerite d’Youville Church in Brampton, Ontario contributed over $8300 to ACCESS, for school uniforms in the Dominican Republic. Thank you to all of the amazing people who donated!