Established in 1983, The Galatti Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service was established to honor AFS Volunteers whose commitment, dedication and exceptional journey with the organization have advanced the mission and goals of AFS. For her lifetime dedication to the AFS mission, Susan Rowley, of the One World Area Team, has earned the 2018 Galatti Award. Congratulations and thank you for all the ways you’ve contributed to AFS-USA, Susan!

Visit AFS International’s webpage to read about this year’s Galatti Award nominees, including Susan’s (copied below). Studying abroad with AFS (USA to Denmark, 1960) started Susan’s AFS journey, which includes preparing and supporting exchange students, founding and managing local AFS chapters in the USA, serving on regional and national councils, serving as a member of the AFS-USA Board of Directors, fundraising and much more. Susan’s children have studied abroad with AFS, and she and her husband, Dave, have hosted students at least a dozen times. One might think that her local volunteer services and duties might be enough for someone who has volunteered for 60 years, but Susan has also always found time to serve on AFS advisory boards to give her invaluable insight to help to streamline the work of AFS-USA.

Ward Chamberlin, an AFS ambulance driver and one of the founders of our organization, once wrote of Susan, “[Her] influence in the American Field Service as a global institution and her personal effect on the hundreds of AFS boys and girls that have stayed in her region are not precisely quantifiable, but I can tell you that they have been enormous. The warmth and generosity of her personality set a standard for us all to attain.