At the American Women's Activities, Germany, conference, speaker Mary-Ann MacInerney discusses how to spice up the craft booths that volunteers use to turn local goods into fund-raising dollars. (Ben Murray / Stars and Stripes)
GARMISCH, Germany — A burgeoning spirit of volunteerism has accounted for a dramatic rise in attendance at this year’s American Women’s Activities, Germany conference, organizers said. Its new, pristine setting in the Bavarian Alps didn’t hurt, either.
Attracting about 335 delegates, speakers and corporate sponsors to the new Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, this week’s AWAG’s annual convention was the largest in its 49-year history, AWAG chairwoman Therese Dolan said.
“That’s up about 100 percent from last year,” Dolan said. “It tells us that we are definitely on target.”
Set to the theme “Working together for tomorrow,” the four-day conference includes the convention’s traditional mix of classes, lectures and evening soirees aimed at bringing disparate group members together and teaching them how to be more effective volunteers.
“The primary focus of the whole week is for the delegates to be trained and connected,” said conference volunteer Bobbie Kellner.
Volunteers from various organizations around Europe, including delegates from England and Italy, attended, along with German women with ties to military volunteer groups.
“[There are] many interesting topics for us to learn and experience as Germans,” said Bruni Puetz, attending her seventh AWAG conference. “This way, we can learn what we can change in our club to make it more attractive to American women.”
New to this year’s schedule were distinguished speaker retired Brig. Gen. Michael Mulqueen, executive director for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and motivational speaker Thelma Dominici, who elicited both laughs and tears from conference attendees with personal stories on the principles of volunteerism.
“I think they’re such a positive force,” Dominici said of the AWAG volunteers after her Tuesday speech. “The enthusiasm and the spirit and the connection in and among the people is really genuine.”
With interest in AWAG on the rise, Dolan said, more people are beginning to realize the important role local volunteers play in military communities.
“Too many people say, ‘Oh, I’m just a volunteer,’” Dolan said. “With all the budget cuts and drawdowns, we rely more and more on volunteers.”
As evidenced by the conference attendance, that message is starting to sink in, she said.
“I really do think that people are finally getting it,” she said. “This isn’t just fluff.”
At the American Women's Activities, Germany, conference, speaker Mary-Ann MacInerney discusses how to spice up the craft booths that volunteers use to turn local goods into fund-raising dollars. (Ben Murray / Stars and Stripes)
American Women's Activities, Germany chairwoman Therese Dolan, left, hands a plaque and some gifts of appreciation to Thelma Dominici, the speaker for Tuesday's events at AWAG's annual conference. (Ben Murray / Stars and Stripes)
