12/13/2004 - Celebrating AFS Volunteers

In addition to the Galatti Award for outstanding volunteer service, AFS showed heartfelt appreciation for its 30,000 volunteers around the world in recognition of International Volunteer Day on December 5 with celebrations as diverse as the AFS network. Here are just a few examples…

The volunteers of AFS Peru gathered for a celebratory event in the Amazon Jungle with both Community Service and Year Program participants. In Iceland, volunteers and other AFS guests came in from the cold to an open house at the AFS Iceland office to enjoy hot chocolate and holiday treats while talented AFS students provided the entertainment with holiday music and songs from their countries.

Chapter Development Team Leaders and Chapter Support Team Leaders from 6 chapters across Malaysia incorporated a big thank you ceremony into a 3 day event at Intekma Resort, Shah Alam where volunteers participated in Chapter Meetings and the Farewell High Tea for the year program students. AFS Malaysia also showed appreciation to Mr. Ahmad Kamaluddin from the Southern Chapter who has volunteered since 1978 as a sending father, hosting father, Chapter President among other positions in the organization. At a team building session, volunteers played Win, Lose or Draw and quizzes, which brought much laughter and tested their cooperation and communication skills. The winning team won the highly coveted AFS Malaysia t-shirt.

AFS Egypt was invited to participate in the International Volunteer Day on December 12 hosted by the United Nations Volunteer Program at the United Nations Development Program under the auspices of H.E. the First Lady and the Minister of Youth.

AFS Australia thanked their volunteers for their hard work, initiative and commitment to AFS with a volunteer visit program over the past 2 months. The Management Team traveled around the country meeting hundreds of volunteers, participants, families and returnees from every State and Territory. Considering the size of this “down under” country, it was no small task, but it was a rewarding and refreshing opportunity to thank volunteers, share ideas, and look for ways to improve the quality of service.

If you are an AFS host family, participant, teacher, friend, staff member, or volunteer, you have helped further the spirit of volunteerism that makes AFS what it is. Your contribution is what drives the AFS mission to create a more just and peaceful world through intercultural exchange.

A warm thank you to all our hundreds of thousands of supporters around the world.

In the photo: A volunteer group from Malaysia who did not win the highly coveted t-shirt, but the equally coveted AFS Malaysia pen during a spirited game of Win Loose or Draw.