AFS-USA Celebrates National Volunteer Week 2010
From AFSWiki
To read more about National Volunteer Week 2010 and to watch a video of AFS-USA's President, Jorge Castro, talk about the importance of our volunteers, click on this link: [1]
It's such an exciting time to be an AFS-USA Volunteer! As we approach National Volunteer Week, we are reaching out to honor and thank you for the important work you do every day on behalf of AFS and to share some of the exciting projects that you, as AFS Volunteers, make possible.
As we begin 2010 with a new Board and President, you should know that AFS-USA is strongly committed to moving from a volunteer-based organization to one that is volunteer-driven. Volunteers are now involved in every area of the organization and for the first time in its history, AFS-USA has an annual National Volunteer Assembly (NVA) with more than 100 AFS Volunteer Delegates who help to shape the future of AFS-USA. Today, AFS Volunteers can truly share in it the success of AFS-USA because they are involved in every area of the organization.
Our more than 6,000 registered volunteers have many opportunities to participate in business planning, governance and decision-making by serving on the National Council or as an NVA Delegates. There are six National Council committees involved in the planning and development of AFS-USA and 11 different Advisory Groups. Four field volunteers serve on the AFS Board of Directors with former National Council Chair Judy Weyand as Vice-Chair. And for the first time in its more than sixty year history, the Board of Directors appointed an AFS Returnee to be President of AFS-USA!
All of this new and exciting volunteer activity is backed by significant investments by the organization in Volunteer Development. This year, volunteers will be able to have more in-person meetings and conferences, better tools and training, and new and exciting resources like e-learning modules and toolkits to support volunteers who are out recruiting host families and working with schools.
With this wonderful progress comes an important promise that AFS Volunteers must continue to make—that you will be the hands and heart of this organization. We need and count on you to recruit and support the U.S. students whose lives will be changed by a study abroad experience and the U.S. host families who will share their lives with students from other countries. No one can do this better than AFS Volunteers working in communities across this nation.
You make the mission of building a more just and peaceful world possible. Thank you for who you are and all that you do. You mean the world to us.
Sincerely,
Mary Porterfield, National Council Chair Jorge Castro, President
