ACCESS announces passionate, diverse Board of Directors

BRAMPTON – Youth-run, non-profit ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. is formally introducing its Board of Directors, recently formed to support and guide the growing organization. These senior volunteers are passionate about the mission and vision of ACCESS, and are committed to seeing its ambitions achieved. Through the culmination of the board's diverse collective experiences, the following six members are dedicated to steering ACCESS forward into the future:

Chairperson Louroz Mercader Communications Strategist	Director of International Projects Arthur Kong Civil Engineer
Vice-Chairperson Michael Onabolu Business Administration Student	Director of Local Projects Annalisa Sodhi Educator
Treasurer Rosemary Francavilla Community Activist	Community Representative Alrick Grange Management Consultant

Each of the directors possess unique skills and experience relevant to ACCESS. Brief bios of each member are provided below:

Louroz Mercader | Chairperson Louroz is a community leader and communications strategist devoted to civic entrepreneurship and volunteering. His creativity and hard work are evident in spearheading projects such as the Mississauga Youth Games (MY Games), a grassroots non-profit that provides free sporting and artistic programs to young people. He also serves as a director on the boards of United Way of Peel Region, Safe City Mississauga, and GO Transit Customer Service Advisory Committee, as well as on the Steering Committee of CivicAction. He is also the founder of the Institute for Youth Citizenship; which hosts Local Democracy Week annually at Queen’s Park. Louroz will run in the 2014 municipal elections for Ward 7 Mississauga City Councilor, after placing second in 2010.

Michael Onabolu | Vice-Chairperson Michael is studying Business Administration at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, where he has served on the Students’ Union Board of Directors. He joined ACCESS in 2006 and has been inspired to help children overseas, influenced by his two exposure trips to the Dominican Republic. Ever since returning from the Dominican in 2006, Michael knew that education was one of the greatest gifts that could be given to a child, and in turn, a nation. He believes ACCESS stands to send that gift. Previously, Michael held the title of Vice President of Strategic Planning with ACCESS’ Senior Management team.

Rosemary Francavilla | Treasurer Rosemary has been actively involved in ACCESS since its formation in 2006 and believes that it is important for youth to help those in need from an early age. She is a firm believer in the value and importance of an education. Rosemary has a background in Business Administration and property management. She is a supporter of a variety of local and international social justice causes, leading an example for her three children.

Arthur Kong | Director of International Projects Arthur is a civil engineer and community development specialist for the Mining and Metallurgy division for Canada’s largest engineering consulting firm, SNC-Lavalin Inc. Arthur has also devoted his life to international development/aid sector and to the issues of poverty-reduction in sub-Saharan Africa. He was an overseas-consultant with Engineers Without Borders Canada in the southern African countries of Zambia and Malawi from 2009 to 2011. In Africa he worked with local rural communities and provided management consulting services to local NGO’s that were attempting to execute business and market development projects on the ground. In 2011, Arthur was appointed by Engineers Without Borders Canada and social-investors to co-lead a feasibility study to manufacturing fairly-traded/socially responsible hockey pucks in Canada using rubber from Liberia. Arthur has co-founded the SNC-Lavalin Toastmasters Association and the OUTpolitics initiative. Arthur is a recipient of the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Annalisa Sodhi | Director of Local Projects Annalisa has 16 years teaching experience with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. She has been a strong advocate for social justice work in elementary schools, encouraging students to live their faith in actions and words. She has supported ACCESS from its beginning and has been instrumental in coordinating conferences in collaboration with ACCESS and Dufferin Peel for local youth. Her heroes are Mother Teresa and Jean Vanier, who dedicated their lives ensuring the most marginalized of humanity had a voice, a face, and a purpose in life. Annalisa's hope is that she is a role model to the students she teaches and her own two children, inspiring them to give without expecting anything in return and to look at life beyond their own.

Alrick A. Grange | Community Representative Alrick works at the City of Mississauga's City Manager’s Office, where he is a management consultant for corporate strategy and innovation. He has years of Management Consulting experience, along with fourteen years of Client Services and Intercontinental Contact Centre leadership experience. He specializes in relationship management, project management and advising, and has transformed businesses and executed change management within both the public and private sectors. Alrick holds a post-secondary education in Business Administration and a post-graduate executive designation in CRM (Customer Relationship Management). As a volunteer, he has served as the Director of Marketing & Public Relations and Music & Youth at Kingdom Life Ministries in Mississauga and is also a Board Member for the Hope Coalition. Alrick believes that the most effective leaders cultivate leaders.

ACCESS: Allowing Children a Chance at Education, Inc. is a youth-run, non-profit organization aiming to provide needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies, enabling them with the opportunity to obtain an education for a successful life. ACCESS also aims to educate North American youth about related world issues, and to inspire them to make a difference globally. For more information and resources, please visit www.accesscharity.ca.

Media Inquiries Contact: Nathalie Atanda, Community Relations Manager nathalie@accesscharity.ca