| As I look back over the past year at what we have been able to accomplish, I can say without hesitation that our success is due, in large part, to the unwavering commitment of you and your fellow AFS-USA Volunteers across our nation. I am so grateful to be a part of the AFS-USA family as I hope you are. I am profoundly moved by and grateful for all that has been accomplished this year, especially in rebuilding our programs and operations and continuing to contend with COVID and the assorted variants.
For nearly 75 years, AFS has provided transformational educational exchange experiences in the US and countries around the world because people like you stepped forward to volunteer. Without you, AFS would not exist as one of the largest, volunteer-based organizations of its kind in the world.
When I think about the power and promise of AFS experiences, it is not an understatement to say that we are only as strong as the people who believe in and share the AFS Mission of building a more just and peaceful world—and that is demonstrated repeatedly by your dedication to our students, families, educators, and others in your community.
As a reminder of what we do as AFS, and the impact we enable, we recently launched a new page on our website profiling impactful stories, which I think you will enjoy via this link: afsusa.org/impact.
To learn more about what we have accomplished together and our strategic imperatives for the coming year, please refer to my remarks delivered at our Volunteer Summit ‘Leading Together’ which was held in November.
On behalf of everyone at AFS, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for choosing to contribute your time and expertise and sharing your many gifts with us. You. Change. Lives. May the new year bring us all more opportunities to share who we are with others around the world as together we champion the causes of peace and justice. |
