Readers of this blog will recall that back in February of 2008 I wrote some posts about my trip to Turkmenistan where I worked with women artisans hoping to sell their goods in Western markets. The organization that sponsored and organized the trip, Winrock International, sent me a packet in the mail this week and in it was a very nice letter (electronically signed by President Obama) and a certificate indicating that I had won the bronze level President's Volunteer Service Award for the time I volunteered in Turkmenistan.
While I certainly wasn't expecting any sort of award or recognition, I have to admit that I thought it was a very nice way to recognize the efforts of volunteers. A total of 99 Winrock volunteers won the award. I particularly like this organization because among other things it has a strong focus on programs that support the establishment and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, which as I've said time and again is what I believe is the key to poverty alleviation.
The other cool thing about the award is that the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation encourages as many "winners" as possible - volunteering is not something that should be exclusive.
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