2010 Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad

Via the State Dept's press shop:

Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg will present the 2010 Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad to the six winners from different geographic regions at a ceremony on Thursday, December 2 at 10:00 a.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State.

The awards recognize U.S. Government employees; family members, including domestic partners; and other members of household at embassies and consulates who gave exceptional volunteer service to their communities, mission or host country, or rendered outstanding assistance in emergencies. This year’s award winners include:

Shirley A. Winter – Yaounde (AF)

Shameera M. Wiest – Kuala Lumpur (EAP)

Mindy R. Michels and Melissa E. Schraibman – Tirana (EUR)

Beth A. Brownson – Mumbai (SCA)

Jose M. Torres – San Jose (WHA)

A brief synopsis of the volunteer activity that earned each winner her/his award can be found at: http://www.aafsw.org/sosa.htm.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the SOSA awards by Secretary of State and Mrs. James Baker. To honor this milestone, the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide have created an on-line publication entitled “FS Volunteers – 20 Years of Grassroots Diplomacy.” The publication documents the contributions and outstanding volunteer service provided by over 400 Foreign Service employees and family members at U.S. embassies and consulates all over the world. The publication is available at http://www.aafsw.org/sosa.htm.