On December 31st, 2021, our AFS-USA family lost a dear friend and advocate with the passing of Board Member and longtime volunteer Peter J. Westort following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Throughout his extensive career as a professor of accounting and taxation, Peter especially savored his role as host father to many international students. He also served as a group leader for university-level study abroad programs in Peru, Germany, Netherlands, and Eastern Europe. On those trips and others, Peter took particular pleasure in seeing many of the students he introduced to international travel who went on to have careers that let them continue having their own global experiences. Peter and his wife Mary Ann Offer became active with AFS-USA when their own children studied abroad in high school; Peter also served diligently as Treasurer for the AFS-USA Board of Directors from 2017 through 2021. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, friend, community member, and volunteer leader, and for his easy, infectious laugh that filled a room.
Shortly after Peter’s passing, Mary Ann established the Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award to honor Peter and his legacy of volunteer service and to enable and encourage AFS-USA chaperones add to their AFS international experiences abroad. Through the Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award, AFS-USA chaperones will be welcome to apply for one of four $500 stipends to be awarded to four volunteer chaperones in the coming year. Mary Ann, who was recently on a chaperone trip to Ghana said, “Planning for my chaperone trip to Ghana has been a great help to me in firming up my ideas for how this could work for volunteers. As I spent time with wonderful young returnee friends in Ghana, at really quite reasonable cost, I found myself thinking about volunteers in the future who might be able to do something similar because of this award. I am glad that we are able to make it happen!”
How to Apply for the Westort Award
The application for both Belo and Flight Chaperones is available annually. The application form contains the supplemental questionnaire to apply for consideration for the Peter J. Westport Volunteer Leadership Award, which will only be awarded to Flight Chaperones. Chaperones may apply for one of four $500 stipends to be awarded to four volunteers in the coming year, for use toward costs of official events or any other expenses, including meals and lodgings, that enable the volunteer to socialize with AFS friends, family, and new acquaintances while in the host country.
Volunteers who receive the Westort Award will be expected to provide feedback about what the award helped them to do while on their chaperone trip so that they can be celebrated and share ideas with others about what the award can help them accomplish. The survey form will be sent to them to be filled out within a month of returning from their trip.
How to Donate to the Westort Award Fund
Donors are welcome to contribute to the Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award that will be used exclusively for AFS-USA Volunteers by visiting: afsusa.org/donate/peterwestort
The Volunteer Recognition Committee expresses its deepest gratitude and appreciation to Mary Ann Offer and the Offer-Westort family for establishing this fund and look forward to its continued growth and maintenance from gifts by other friends and volunteers of AFS-USA.
Questions about the Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award can be directed to the Volunteer Recognition Committee at usavrc@afs.org.
FAQs for Westort Award Recipient
The Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award was established as a memorial to honor Peter Westort, a long-time volunteer, host parent, and AFS board member. Peter’s wife Mary Ann created the award to enable AFS-USA chaperones to supplement their AFS international experiences abroad. Mary Ann intended for the award to be used toward costs of official events or any other expenses while on a chaperone trip, including meals and lodging, that enable the volunteer to connect with AFS friends, family, and new acquaintances while in the chaperone country.
How and when will I receive the stipend?
- The award funds can be deposited directly into your bank account or sent to you as a paper check. You’ll be contacted by the VRC for your preference, and the funds will be sent to you prior to your trip.
What can I use the stipend for?
- The stipend must be spent in the pursuit of spending time with AFS people in the chaperone destination country: AFS volunteers, staff, returnees, or sending students.
- The stipend should not be spent on tobacco or alcohol products.
- The stipend can cover costs of events involving AFS volunteers, students/returnees, and/or staff in the chaperone country.
- The stipend can cover meals, lodging, and other expenses that enable you to spend more time in the area with AFS friends and family.
What have previous award winners used the stipend for?
- One chaperone planned a lunch for 16 returnees who lived in Jakarta.
- One chaperone participated in two days of arrival orientation in Japan as AFS-USA (and other partner country) students arrived. They also participated in Japanese culture tours and connected with Japanese returnees who were hosted in their state in the US.
- One chaperone extended their chaperone trip to visit a former exchange student, using the funds for expenses related to that visit.
Are there tips for making contact with AFS Partner Countries?
- Reaching out to the AFS partner country in your chaperone destination can be very helpful when trying to make plans and identify AFS friends for this endeavor. An AFS-USA staff member can provide you with a contact in the destination country from the Global Link directory. Write to usavrc@afs.org if you need assistance.
- The Travel department provides chaperones with a point of contact in the destination country for travel needs, and that person can be helpful in making connections.
- A previous Westort award winner noted that cultural differences can impact response time and time management, so don’t be discouraged if it takes time to get a response from a partner contact or coordinate an event.
Click here to view the printable version of the FAQs above.
Questions about the Peter J. Westort Volunteer Leadership Award can be directed to the Volunteer Recognition Committee at usavrc@afs.org.