This month AFS-USA is pleased to spotlight Maryanne Marr of DeRuyter, NY, who has been a volunteer with the DeRuyter Area Team since 1984.
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved?
My students asked me if we could have an exchange student at DeRuyter High School. I thought it was a great idea and contacted the Cazenovia Chapter, who took us under their wing and helped us get started.
What keeps you coming back to volunteer each year?
I believe in the mission of AFS and have seen the tremendous positive difference it makes in the lives of the students we host, the host families, and the American students who go abroad.
What’s a typical volunteer “shift” like for you?
There really is no typical “shift” – we are a small Area Team so every volunteer takes on several roles at different times: family finding, student/family support, organizing orientations…the list goes on. Most recently I was arrival coordinator and enjoyed meeting the students, getting their first impressions of the U.S.
What have you learned from your experience with AFS?
I think the most important thing I have learned over the years is that no matter how different we may appear to be or think we are, there is an underlying and enduring bond we share: to make connections, show love and compassion, and promote peace among all peoples.
Please share the best thing that’s happened to you while volunteering with AFS. There are so many special moments…but the one that speaks most strongly to me are the comments made by a Chinese student who was putting together a presentation at our local library on his country and his city. He came from Nanjing, which had been brutalized in 1937 by Japanese troops. He related that the anti-Japanese sentiment in his city was still strong, even today; if a Japanese visitor came to the area, he would not be confronted but people would deliberately and obviously shun the person. We were hosting a Japanese student that year along with our Chinese young man, so they spent time together during our orientations. As he prepared to tell the story of his city, he added that he had never spent any time in conversation with a Japanese person and after spending time with her, he realized that she was a good person…that as difficult as the history was between the two nationalities, it was possible to set that aside and form ties of friendship.
What do you want to say to people who might be interested in volunteering with AFS?
No matter how little or how much time you have to give, the rewards are great!