The Foreign Service Journal, April 2008

60 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 8 V olunteerism is alive and well in the ForeignService. Manymembers of the FS community are devoting countless hours helping improve the qual- ity of life of those in need. The Associates of theAmericanForeignServiceWorldwide recognizes volunteer efforts specificallyper- formed overseas through the annual Secretaryof StateAward for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (known as the SOSA Awards). AAFSW established the SOSAAwards 18years agowith the direct encouragement and support of then-Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Mrs. Baker. SOSA recognizes volunteer efforts at posts over- seas in one or more of the fol- lowingareas: 1) exceptional ser- vice to the mission community; 2) out- standing activities directed toward the host country; and3) exceptional service inemer- gencies. In 2007, AAFSWreceived a total of 24 nominations fromposts around the globe. Each year, one recipient is selected to rep- resent each regional bureau. Award win- ners receive a check for $2,500, a certificate signed by the Secretary of State and a pin commemorating the December AAFSW awards ceremony. The announcement cable soliciting nominations for the 2008 SOSA Awards will go out this month. Donations to fundSOSAover the years have come fromformer Secretaries of State and the AAFSW membership. In 2005, Ambassador Steven Green of the Green FamilyFoundationgenerouslybequeathed an annual contribution of $10,000 to help fund the awards. The Green Founda- tion serves as a voice for social action, and the 2007SOSArecipients are extraordinary examples of agents of change. The 2007 SOSA Winners • Duringhis two-year tour inCotonou, 2007 SOSA winner Neill Krost devoted countless hours to the welfare of 250 chil- drenat theAbomeyorphanage, located four hours fromthe capital. Hebrought togeth- er the entirediplomatic andexpatriate com- munities for the first annualChristmasben- efit drive. Krost was also successful inper- suading the town mayor to provide elec- tricityandwater for the facilityand insecur- ing funding for newconstruction. To sus- tainandexpand these efforts, he alsodevel- opedabusinessplan for theorphanage, cre- ated a Web site and raised an additional $20,000 to fund future improvements. • Alison Padget, a first-tour family member living in Beijing, is a volunteer nutrition program coordinator for the United Foundation for ChineseOrphans. She has dedicated her skills and expertise to improving the lives of the childrenof the Jiaozuo City orphanage who face severe health issues. Padget oversees the order- ing, transport andpreparationof infant for- mula and trains the staff in sanitary tech- niques. To finance corrective surgeries, she secured $55,000 in grant monies from a pharmaceutical company. • As two-term chairman of the school board of the American International School of Zagreb,DennisNicewas the cat- alyst for the identification of a new school facility. Drawing on his strong leadership skills, Nice formed amulticultural teamof architects, engineers, investors and lawyers to tackle the challenges of a viable school plan.As boardchairman, he leda successful search for anewschool director, established a financial aid policy and paid off a facili- ties improvement loan two years in advance. • USAIDProgramOfficerPaul Sabatine devotedhis volunteer efforts furthering the education of street children and the employment of destitutewomen inDhaka. During his tenure as board chair of Eglal’s ABC School for street children, Sabatine spearheadedmajor renovations to the school building. His cre- ative implementation of a monthly family subsistenceplan catapulted school attendance from70 to92percent. Sabatine also volunteered to manage andpromote sales of handicrafts by a cooperativeofmarginalized women, thereby tripling their income. • MariaReginaBarrosPontes createdabusiness venture in the rural community of Los Amadores, 20 miles outside of Managua. In2006, she beganmakingweekly visits to teacha groupofwomenhowtomake bas- kets out of newspaper. At the same time, she cultivatedcontacts inManaguawithgal- leries andcraft fairswhere thewomencould sell their wares. Barros Pontes also con- vinced themayor of the community tocre- ate a space in the public market for sale of the handicrafts and toprovide a sitewhere the women have established their head- quarters. The 2007 SOSA winners attended the AAFSW annual awards ceremony on Dec. 4, 2007, in the Benjamin Franklin ReceptionRoomat the StateDepartment. DeputySecretary JohnD.Negropontepre- sented the awards. Inaccepting them, each recipient spoke about the power of volun- teer work. The winners carried amessage of hope and commitment. Theirs was a message of deeds, not words, epitomizing grass-roots diplomacy at its best. Moredetails about the awards program are posted on the AAFSW Web site at www.aafsw.org/aafsw/awards/2007_wrap up.htm A F S A N E W S 2007 SOSA winners with Deputy Secretary John Negroponte. From left: Dennis Nice, Maria Regina Pontes, Alison Padget, Karen Sabatine (mother of Paul Sabatine, who could not be present), the Deputy Secretary and Neill Krost. AAFSW RECOGNIZES OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS Call for Nominations for the SOSA Awards BY CATHY SALVATERRA, AAFSW SOSA CHAIR MICHAEL GROSS