Volunteer Story: The Ulibarri Family

For two and a half years, Frank, Angie, and their daughter, Claire, have been active volunteers, donors, and members of the Atlanta Mission community. What started as a general curiosity after hearing a positive volunteering experience from one of Frank’s staff members at Aetna has turned into something much more.

“He came home and he said, ‘You’ve got to check this place out. It’s just amazing.’”

Frank Ulibarri’s first experience with Atlanta Mission was through a sponsorship for an Atlanta Mission event his company, Aetna, was part of. He was full of joy from the event and shared with his family. Angie and Claire soon became more involved with Atlanta Mission turning Frank’s passion from a corporate sponsorship to a family cause.  They began participating in things like a toothbrush drive held by Frank’s company.

Angie and Claire saw compassion and the happiness Atlanta Mission gave to Frank’s soul. They started going to My Sister’s House, Atlanta Mission’s women and children’s shelter, early in the mornings to help serve breakfast. One thing led to another and they slowly became more involved in bigger events like weekly game nights and Thanksgiving dinner. The more they volunteered, met Atlanta Mission clients, and saw the true transformation that was taking place, the more they wanted to get involved.

“For me, it’s not just a place to sleep, and it’s cool because you can see people change. Just from when I first started, I still see some familiar faces. And everybody is smiling and they’re engaged in doing something different with their lives – you can see it and feel it.” – Angie

“People that are sinking or have sunk quite a bit and they just need a hand up and we’re fortunate because we get to be the hands in these situations if we can just reach out and show up and love them and treat them as equals. That’s fundamentally the mission of Atlanta Mission.” – Frank

“When my dad found the Atlanta Mission and gave me opportunities to serve them, it made me feel better because it made me feel that I mattered to someone and that I could give something that I had to someone else. And that was a really, very happy moment for me.” – Claire

Because of the generosity from people like the Ulibarri family, the involvement of Aetna, and the happiness brought to Atlanta Mission every day, we’re able to help transform the lives of others and lead them down a better path. We are so thankful.

If you’re interested in getting involved at Atlanta Mission, click here.