Stephen Galatti was an idealist, a visionary, a trail blazer and a pragmatist who built and transformed AFS from an organization that transported the war wounded into one that now provides cross-cultural experiences in the name of peace.
Galatti took the helm of AFS in 1936 as Director General. During his 28 years of service, he worked tirelessly to involve ever-larger numbers of participants, families and countries. Beginning with 10 countries in 1947, the AFS family of nations had grown to include 59 countries by the time of Galatti’s death in 1964.
Although he was the driving force of AFS, Galatti relied heavily on the corps of volunteers he developed over the years. Even in the early days, he knew that the success of AFS depended on substantial volunteer support.
Because of Galatti’s foresight and commitment to community service, AFS today continues to value its volunteers and recognize them as the lifeblood of AFS programs. It is in tribute both to Galatti and to dedicated AFS volunteers that the Galatti Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service has been established.