Dear AFS-USA Volunteers,
We are so proud to share with you our 2017 AFS-USA Annual Report that demonstrates some of the ways AFS-USA Volunteers have made an impact on people’s lives during the past year.
Take for example the Michigan Area Team who sent 16 students from abroad and hosted 81 international exchange students last year, all thanks to 126 active local volunteers. Or look at the many faces in the community — whether it’s an educator, an AFS-USA Volunteer, a host parent, or a student — and read the ways AFS has made an impact in their lives and their community.
The accomplishments described in this annual report were made possible because of your dedication, skills, and a strong belief in the power of AFS-USA programs to change the lives of people in communities in the U.S. and throughout the world. Thank you for all that you do every day to make a positive and lasting difference in your communities.
As AFS-USA Volunteers, your AFS Effect is what moves our mission forward. In addition to including the AFS-USA Annual Report link here, we are also providing you with a global view of AFS through the 2017 AFS Network Annual Report. Last year, the global AFS Network sent 12,000 young people on transformational exchange programs in 98 countries, and 10,000 families hosted international students!
In the 2017 AFS Network Annual Report message, Daniel Obst, President of AFS International, described the power of our AFS Volunteers in this way, “Your commitment to using intercultural learning to address society’s greatest challenges and build bridges between people is so important, and you have once again shown the transformative power of the #AFSEffect.”
On behalf of the Board and staff of AFS-USA, we echo the sentiment of the entire AFS Network when we say thank you for being the kind of active global citizens that our world needs, and for making it possible for students, families, educators, community leaders, and others to join in our mission to create a more just and peaceful world.
Thank you for inspiring us every single day.
Sincerely,
Jorge Castro
President, AFS-USA