AAFSW/Secretary of State's Award for Outstanding Volunteerism
Year 2003 Winners
On Foreign Affairs Day, May 9, 2003, AAFSW is honored to recognize five deserving volunteers from the various geographic bureaus. They have made a remarkable difference in their communities, both American and host country, while serving abroad. Mrs. Susan Baker, wife of the former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, initiated this award in 1990 because she was impressed by the outstanding volunteer service performed by Foreign Service families abroad.
Christopher Paul "Norman" Bates, Dakar, Senegal
An Information Management Specialist, Norman Bates is described as "the biggest smile at post" and as someone who "sees a need and tries to meet it." Whether caring for the menagerie of animals within the mission compound, providing soccer and playground equipment for the poor Senegalese children of "Batesville" or supporting and organizing events for the West African Invitational Softball Tournament, Norman is an extremely giving individual. Soliciting sporting equipment from manufacturers, he managed to secure hundreds of dollars worth of balls, bats and gloves for neighborhood kids. He also used his carpentry skills to benefit the Embassy Community Welfare and Recreation Association and helped them raise money for their non-profit activities. Norman personifies "value added" to the work of the Dakar mission in West Africa.
Frank J. Weicks, Chiang Mai
Frank Weicks, during his five years with the DEA office in Chiang Mai, made a significant contribution to the underprivileged children of the region. After supporting a fledgling foster care program at a local government orphanage through a gala dinner and auction that raised an unprecedented $10,000, Frank became Vice Chairman of The Foundation for the Education of Rural Children. He led the way in fund raising to build a preschool in a remote Karen hill tribe village, to supplement basic education with music and field trips and to provide volunteer medical professionals for routine health care. Rotary Chiang Mai West was the recipient of Frank's energy as he wrote grants to Rotary International to match retired teachers from the US. with needy communities in Thailand and to aid them in a program for infants with poor vision. Frank will leave a legacy of good works and goodwill in northern Thailand.
Anne C. Bridgman, Prague, Czech Republic
Anne Bridgman filled two critical needs by improving lives of the American community in Prague and helping to feed a mostly-ignored segment of the Czech population. She helped organize the Green Tree Early Learning Center for preschoolers making it an affordable reality for Embassy families. She wrote the book Prague for Kids which provides a wealth of information in English for Prague's non-Czech speaking population and generates profits for charities and she writes "Things To Do with Kids," a column in a monthly magazine. Beyond the mission, she resurrected an ineffective soup kitchen to feed needy Czechs through her efforts to secure a location, develop menus, draw up schedules for volunteers and design operating procedures. Anne's innate empathy and heartfelt sympathy were vividly demonstrated during her time in Prague.
Karie Ennis, New Delhi, India
For two years Karie Ennis, Office Management Specialist, spent several hours each weekend at the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage for Handicapped Children in New Delhi. She provided physical therapy for the children, taught Indian staff to feed the children properly and spent time talking, playing with, and holding the children. She organized the Marines' Toys for Tots campaign to benefit the orphanage and obtained a grant from the J. Kirby Simon Trust to buy mattresses, therapy mats and other supplies. Karie also promoted, organized and facilitated the first "Health Fair" for Embassy New Delhi attended by over 500 mission staff. Karie Ennis' volunteer work in India and the personal concern she demonstrated for all those around her was truly extraordinary and embodies the highest values of the Foreign Service.
Kristine Luoma-Overstreet, Merida, Mexico
In a city without an international school, Kristine Luoma-Overstreet worked with a local school to create a "Reading is Fun" program that increased the English-language literacy and combated the hostility toward reading in general. She organized story hours, introduced the concept of a lending library, obtained donations of books and began what is now an annual catalog book sale where members of the community purchased over $2,000 worth of books. She was also the mainstay of the Merida English Library, an all-volunteer shoestring operation which serves as Merida's premier public library, organizing multiple fundraising events to benefit the MEL. Over 100 local residents, both American and Mexican, recently sent a letter of thanks to the Ambassador praising Kris's selflessness, unparalleled work and seemingly inexhaustible energy.