AWAG is all about volunteers

***image1***Area conferences held by the American Women’s Activities, Germany in the fall throughout Europe are all about the volunteers and their organizations.

“Our mission is to train and connect volunteers to their organizations and communities,” said Johnette Owens, a Rheinland-Pfalz Area AWAG representative. “We help organizations train their future leaders – to make leaders out of volunteers.”

More than 90 volunteers from the KMC, Baumholder and Spang-
dahlem attended the Rheinland-Pfalz Area AWAG conference Oct. 22 at the Ramstein Officers’ Club.

“I like the information I receive,” said Dava Oliver, from the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern, who was attending her third conference. “And, there is always such a variety of classes.”

This conference offered 11 speaker forums ranging from maximizing volunteer experience to women’s self defense.
 
“It’s very important to me that women be able to survive,” said Joni Sweet, who gave the women’s self-defense forum for the second year at the conference. “I don’t want any woman to feel that she can not survive in the world at all, and I want women to be able to teach their daughters that they too can survive.”

Also offered at the one-day conference was information on how to be a leader, treasurer and publicity chairperson for a volunteer organization.

“You want to serve on your (volunteer organization’s) board as a treasurer and you have never been one,” said Melanie Iams, a Rheinland-Pfalz Area AWAG representative. “We are going to teach you how to do it so you can do a good job for yourself and your club.”

More information on this organization is available at www.awag.us. The Web site has links for all area conferences and representatives.