Service for Change: Regis student receives the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award

At Regis University, students are enveloped in the Jesuit educational mission inside and outside of class. A core tenet of the mission is educating students to be the agents of service, seeking a more just and humane world. One student exemplified this call to action through her outstanding volunteer service, integrated into a meaningful cause.

On April 13, 2026, Ashley Carrillo Adame, a sophomore education major at Regis, proudly accepted the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award (MYCVA). The MYCVA, a program of Project Helping, is awarded to individuals who have shown dedication to their community through extensive and impactful volunteer service. Alongside the recognition, the recipient is awarded a $2000 cash donation towards the non-profit of their choice.

Minoru Yasui is an often-overlooked community leader local to Denver. Originally from Oregon, Yasui was an attorney who challenged the confinement and civil restrictions imposed on Japanese-Americans during World War II. Relocating to Denver after the war, he served as the Executive Director of the Denver Commission on Community Relations for 16 years. In 1976, the Community Volunteer Award was created in honor of his continued advocacy for local minorities and community service.

Like Yasui, Carrillo Adame began serving her community in a place that resonates with her own experiences. Carrillo Adame has given more than 287 hours of her time to Florence Crittenton Services (Flo Crit), an organization which provides services and education for teen moms in the Denver area. Flo Crit uses a two-generation model to support both mothers and their children simultaneously.

On the morning of April 13, Carrillo Adame’s professors, cohort at Flo Crit and chairpeople for the MYCVA gathered in celebration at Flo Crit’s campus. Carrillo Adame was presented with a commemorative plaque from Project Helping and a proclamation from Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recognizing her service to Flo Crit.

“Ashley proves to be a truly exceptional volunteer by exceeding expectations. During her academic breaks, Ashley has volunteered every day of her vacation, providing much-needed support in the classrooms,” said Cindy Piggott, chairperson for the MYCVA committee. “Ashley's passion for working with children, her reliability and her exceptional character make her an outstanding candidate for this award.”

Carrillo Adame began volunteering for Flo Crit in 2024 as a first-year student through the En/Route program. This unique opportunity is an alternate path to Regis’ First Year Experience for all freshman students. En/Route seeks to pair Eloquentia Perfecta – the art of speaking and writing well – with service in the Jesuit way.

The En/Route program places students with a community partner of their choice for a service-learning experience throughout their first academic year. Students must give at least three to four hours of service per week, paired with a writing and communication seminar course.

“For the last 15 years, the En/Route program has invited our first-year students to begin their college experience by connecting deeply with a justice-based community partner, directly serving minoritized populations,” said Melissa Nix, Director of Curriculum & Intercultural Programming and head of the En/Route program. “Many students describe finding their En/Route year as formative in putting them on an intentional, meaningful path as they become part of the fabric of something bigger than themselves.”

As a community partner of the En/Route program, Flo Crit has had a connection to Regis and its students. Growing up and currently living in the community that Flo Crit serves initially drew Carrillo Adame to service, where she has made her mark as a volunteer.

Carrillo Adame’s dedication is not just during the big moments; it is clear through her service every day. Volunteering with Flo Crit, Carillo Adame has gained more experience working with children and their families while also supplementing her own learning.

As an elementary education major, Carrillo Adame is studying to become a teacher. The volunteer service at Flo Crit has aided her discernment within the field of education. Carrillo Adame works directly in the classroom with the children and their teachers, providing her with real-world experience.

"When you're in the classroom, there's such a good vibe that you just want to stay there.” Carrillo Adame continued, “Then that's when you fully see this is how a class is run, these are the expectations, which I feel like that really fits into the experience of it.

For Carrillo Adame, the MYCVA has only reinforced her passion for service through working with children. Having been nominated for the award by the administration at Flo Crit, Carrillo Adame has found a community where she has felt not only welcomed, but appreciated, for the work she does.

“It was kind of really unexpected,” said Carrillo Adame. “After getting this award and seeing that there's a little bit of appreciation about what I'm doing, maybe this is like helping me find my path. I feel like it's helping me know who I am.”