AYUSA's annual Community Service Contest for 2005 saw dozens of applications flooding in to our san Francisco office and choosing the three winners was quite challenging. This year we saw some of the most beautifully presented submissions ever, along with a diverse range of truly inspiring community service projects. From working with hurricane victims in Florida, to providing much needed care for the elderly, AYUSA students have undertaken some wonderful activities in service to communities all over the United States.

Three winners were selected to participate in a weekend trip to San Francisco, where they will meet the AYUSA HQ staff and have a chance to both explore the city and participate in a community service project. The winners were chosen for their commitment to volunteerism, the breadth of their work, an engagement with difficult issues like mental illness or natural disasters and the sheer number of hours they put in.

AYUSA would like to congratulate this year's winners; Yerbolat Zhumakhmetov (Kazakhstan), Nataliya Karamanyanz (Uzbekistan) and Bayan Amro (Palestine) on a job well done!

Yerbolat spent almost 250 hours volunteering in his community! Most of his time was spent keeping Mrs. Gray, a 100-year old woman in his town, company as well as cleaning her house and supporting her day-to- day needs. Yerbolat even arranged for a signed certificate from President Bush to be presented at her 100th birthday! Yerbolat was also very active in his area’s volunteer centre, in a youth leadership program, as an interpreter for the local Sister Cities Committee and as a volunteer tutor at his school.

Nataliya spent several days volunteering with the Red Cross Shelter in Florida to support relief efforts during and after Hurricane Charlie last September. Nataliya helped guide families to shelter areas and ensured their comfort while also organizing volunteer activities, disbursing food and assisting with cleanup. Nataliya’s dedication during this time was incredible and her shelter manager says that she made a “significant impact” on the lives of the people she assisted. Nataliya has also been active in her community with environmental projects and fundraising activities.

Bayan works with special needs students almost every day at school. Bayan has also been very active with Hands-on Atlanta and was the only student from her community to be accepted as a member of the Youth Services Advisory Board (YSAB). Twice a month, the YSAB undertakes volunteer projects and then meets weekly to identify other needs and develop projects to serve their community. In this way Bayan has been involved in everything from home repairs for the elderly to civic education to animal rights work in no-kill shelters.

Each year, we also select regional winners who have documented the most compelling and inspiring work within their region. These runners-up will receive a gift certificate from Amazon.com valued at $50!

In the Western Region, Lia Evoyan (Armenia) worked extensively at an old-age home in her community and also wrote several articles for her host-town’s newspaper. Lia logged 170 hours of community service work! Congratulations!

Christine Meguerditchian (Lebanon), was our winner for the Rocky Mountain Region, where she has undertaken work with the mentally disabled, provided childcare for parent support groups and even traveled to El Paso, Texas on an outreach mission. Our hats off to you, Christine!

In the Central States, Yulia Chornaya (Russia) volunteered at her local hospital for three hours a day, six days a week! She was also involved in tutoring, volunteer work at a veterinary clinic and other projects in her community. We’ve heard great things about you, Yulia.

Our winner in the Great Lakes to Gulf States region, Sirine Ghammour (Tunisia), sent us one of the most beautiful applications ever, with her community service work wonderfully documented and decorated in an extensive photo album. Sirine’s volunteer work was diverse and included everything from working at the food bank to supporting a blood drive. Thank you, Sirine!

Veronika Bessarab came in first in the Bluegrass-Atlantic Region with over 80 hours of service, from working in a psychiatric hospital to fundraising for cancer, AIDS and educational causes. Excellent work, Veronika!

And last, but certainly not least, Peter Karius (Germany) won in the Mid-Atlantic region. Peter spent numerous hours undertaking maintenance projects at a farm that provides lessons and opportunities to mentally and physically disabled children and adults. Peter has already made plans to continue his work when he returns home!

Again, congratulations to each of the winners and to all who participated in this year’s contest!

We hope that each of you have learned the value and importance of volunteer work and the crucial role that service plays in shaping a more peaceful and just world. All participants in this year’s Community Service Contest will receive a Volunteer Service Award, signed by President Bush. We hope that you will take what you have learned from your experiences back with you to your home countries and carry on the spirit of service and volunteerism long after your AYSUA program.

To tell us more about your community service and volunteer stories, email us at news@ayusa.org

AYUSA International
ATTN: Community Service Contest
600 California Street, FL 10
San Francisco, CA 94108