September 18, 2008

Volunteers Honored at Luncheon

At a gala September 18 luncheon at Washington’s Phoenix Park Hotel, five of ACDI/VOCA’s most dedicated and experienced volunteers were honored. Dave Adams, Bob Albrecht, Jim Valentine, Tom Dobler and Poul Hansen have all served as volunteers since the early '90s, and all continue their service today.

At the luncheon each volunteer described how his work has had lasting impact on beneficiaries, as well as on their own lives, and each was presented with a Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President Bush through the office of Volunteers for Prosperity. Adams, Albrecht and Hansen received the Call to Service Award, which recognized their contribution of 4,000 or more total volunteer hours since 1991. Dobler and Valentine received the Gold level awards, which recognized a contribution of 500 or more hours in a 12-month period.

The luncheon came a day after an all-day general staff retreat, and was a continuation of ACDI/VOCA’s 45th anniversary celebration and the occasion of a number of tributes. Current Chairman of the Board Mort Neufville and his predecessor Vern McGinnis attended the event, and ACDI/VOCA President Carl Leonard presented McGinnis with a plaque inscribed with the board resolution that honored him at the time of his succession earlier this year.

Also at the luncheon ACDI/VOCA presented its highest honor, the International Leadership Award, to the World Cocoa Foundation for its dedication, as our partner, to poverty reduction among smallholder cocoa farmers. Guests included representatives from USAID, USDA and the cocoa industry. For more information about the International Leadership Award, click here.

ACDI/VOCA has a proud history of using highly qualified citizen volunteers for cost-effective person-to-person economic development assistance. For example, it was the first, and has been the most prolific, implementer of the vaunted Farmer-to-Farmer program. Over 11,000 total volunteer assignments, ranging from technical assistance in agricultural production and processing to business development and management to association and cooperative development and financial services interventions, have been mounted in over 120 emerging market and developing countries.

Volunteers are known for going beyond the scope of their assignments. Many perform repeat visits and others, such as Mr. Dobler who went to great lengths to procure and ship silage choppers to Kenyan farmers who paid for the equipment themselves, but did not have the means to research and purchase it, continue to assist their clients from the States. Prior to the luncheon these five visited their Congressional offices to report on their efforts. For more information about Mr. Dobler's efforts or how other volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty, read ACDI/VOCA's web feature article, "Beyond Volunteering."

By honoring these five individuals, ACDI/VOCA signals its appreciation to all the committed and qualified individuals who continue to give their valuable professional time year after year. For information on volunteer assignments, click here.