12/1/2004 - AFS Announces the 2004 Galatti Award Winners
In the spirit of International Volunteer Day, AFS proudly announces the 2004 winners of the Galatti Award for outstanding AFS volunteer service: Traudl Stürmer from Germany, Jerene Thomas from the US, and Di Yan from China.
Each year since 1983, AFS has granted the Galatti Award, the most prestigious recognition in the AFS Network, to recognize outstanding AFS volunteers for their dedicated service to the AFS mission of promoting peace through intercultural exchange, and to galvanize the spirit of grassroots community action.
Through the Galatti Award, AFS recognizes the critical role volunteers play in AFS and the impact volunteerism has on communities. This kind of citizen participation is key to the development of sustainable communities throughout the world. Volunteering is not an action of charity, but rather a mutually beneficial partnership that articulates not only our own individual goals and ideals, but our diverse cultural identities as a local and global community.
The AFS network is run by over 30,000 active volunteers in more than 50 countries around the world. AFS’s unique model of volunteer-run programs is rooted in the vision of founder Stephen Galatti who built and transformed AFS from a volunteer ambulance service that served during both World Wars into a global network of partner organizations that now provides cross-cultural experiences to almost 11,000 students each year in the name of peace.
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.
The Galatti Award Winners
Jerene Thomas has dedicated the last 45 years to AFS. Since 1960, she has “grandmothered” over 1,000 AFS exchange students and hosted ten year program students. She climbed the volunteer ranks to become Team Leader for the entire state of Virginia. Jerene arranges a variety of cultural festivals, language immersion activities with Elementary schools, and holiday teas for students to share their holiday traditions. Jerene’s volunteer spirit has inspired countless program participants and volunteers to join in her effort to promote the AFS mission of peace. She is the heart of the community and her fellow volunteers agree that “Jerene is AFS in Virginia.”
Di Yan’s 12 years of volunteer service began after she returned from her teacher program experience in Indiana in 1993. The AFS programs in China have evolved and grown substantially over the past few years when it first started the student program in 1997, and Di evolved and grew right along with it. In her spare time, Di arranged orientations and support for the visiting teachers and high school exchange students. Soon Di’s volunteer outreach expanded beyond her community to Beijing and other cities across China. From 1999-2000, Di volunteered as Sending Coordinator in the CEAIE office, the organization AFS works with in China. In 2001, CEAIE and AFS started the high school year-long hosting program and Di volunteered as the first Hosting Coordinator, and the following year, she took on her current role as Chair of the National Volunteer Council. Most students who come to China from all over the world know Di and some have even taken to calling her “mom.” Di is happy to volunteer for such a large and happy AFS family.
Traudl Stürmer has volunteered for AFS Germany for the past 25 years. She sent two children abroad on AFS to the US and Dominican Republic, and hosted a Venezuelan student. Traudl’s volunteer experience began in Frankonia where she soon founded the Coburg chapter. In 2001, Traudl moved to the Munich Chapter where she miraculously grew hosting numbers from 5 to 24 students per year and soon became President of Germany’s largest chapter along with Sandra Roster.
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