YES alumni in the West Bank are extremely committed to helping local children get ahead in life. The alumni network has been known to visit children's hospitals, orphanages, refugee camps, and more to bring smiles to the faces of lesser privileged youth and to help them gain the skills and social comforts necessary to feel secure and connected to their communities.

The latest project took place in Hebron with the help of the Palestinian Diabetes Center. On Thursday, August 30th, eight YES alumni went to the Palestinian Child's Home Club to serve 25 children with diabetes from Hebron and surrounding cities. Two alumni of the English Access Microscholarship program also joined in, and together they all gave the children a day to remember.

The alumni prepared a full program for the children to play and interact with one another in a supportive environment. The activities started with a healthy, well-balanced snack to keep the children energized and to balance their blood glucose levels. The ten volunteers then helped the children measure their glucose levels with the supervision of the doctors from the diabetes center. Once it was confirmed that all the kids had stable blood sugar, they were divided into teams and assigned a special color and alumni leader. The teams rotated through stations of various games including crafts, mini-basketball, and hula-hoop throwing.

YES alumni played a key role in making the activity successful and giving the children a memorable day; they talked to them, cheered them, and played with them. The alumni, children, and their families were very pleased with the activity. Everyone left with a big smile!