THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING
When you become a HTAC Volunteer Outreach Ambassador, you are joining a group of dedicated individuals who all share a passion for helping to make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Afghan girls and boys; children who deserve a chance to go to school, get a quality education, gain skills that will give them a better life, so they can grow up and become proud, productive citizens of their country.
As an Outreach Ambassador, you will have the satisfaction of:
Representing our highly-respected organization in your local community.
Learn how to conduct meaningful outreach work that educates others about Afghanistan and our work.
Strengthening our ability to delivery quality education to Afghan children.
Utilizing your own skills, your creativity, and being recognized for your efforts.
AS AN OUTREACH AMBASSADOR YOU WILL: Work in your local community on behalf of HTAC.
Raise awareness about how HTAC’s work is making a difference for Afghan children through our community-based model schools, our innovative educational programs, our quality teacher training programs, and our various educational support services, such as investing in local Afghan communities where we have schools.
Help people understand why educating and empowering Afghan children will help lead to a more secure and safe Afghanistan and reduce the threat of terrorism everywhere.
Motivate individuals, groups and organizations to help support our work.
HOW TO GET STARTED
We understand and appreciate that you are considering the possibility of volunteering your time to work on our behalf. To get started: Contact Stephen Perlman at our USA office in Virginia (703) 848-0407 or Stephen@htac.org and request a volunteer info kit. When you receive your kit, review the packet of materials and view our DVD to learn more about our programs as well as our website.
Make a modest commitment of time and select an initial involvement opportunity (see our list), that you will find both personally enjoyable and meaningful.
DO IT! And let us help you have a successful, fulfilling volunteer experience!
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HTAC believes in working with prospective outreach ambassadors to customize and create volunteer opportunities that address the needs of our organization while making the outreach experience meaningful and satisfying to individuals. The following list represents a variety of outreach efforts a number of our previous ambassadors have conducted. This is not an all-inclusive list.
Host a mini fundraiser at your home
Invite family and friends to share a meal and learn about HTAC. Show our DVD and ask everyone to either make a small donation or commitment to share our work with three friends.
Get a library to support our literacy program
Educate your local library about our ‘Read Afghanistan’ literacy program where our illustrated bi-lingual storybooks are improving literacy levels for thousands of Afghan children. Our books can be found on our website. Get a library to make a donation and help sponsor the continued printing and distribution of these books and we will send them a copy of the book they sponsor. Your librarian may wish to begin a reading program for local children, using the book(s)!
Get a book club to support our literacy program – same concept as #2
Coordinate a school fundraiser on behalf of HTAC
If you are a middle school or high school student (or live near a school), find a principal and/or teacher who would like their students to learn more about Afghanistan and our work. Use the DVD and the materials in your information kit to increase awareness among students and ask them to make a small donation. Set a donation challenge goal! Monies donated will be targeted to support one of HTAC’s model schools. Students and teachers/principal will learn about the Afghan school they have supported.
Start a cultural exchange project with an Afghan school
This can be done for any middle school or high school where you can find a teacher who would like to get their class interested and personally involved in developing and exchanging an educational project with an Afghan ‘sister’ school. Part of your job would be to help the class raise funds to support their participation in this project (contact HTAC for details about support guidelines).
Afghan Student Associations
If you go to or live near a college or university, find out if they have an Afghan Student Association. Let them know about our work and get them interested in planning an event (on campus) to raise awareness and raise funds.
Enter a race on behalf of HTAC
If you run or bike, enter a local race and get people to sponsor your effort by making a contribution to HTAC.
Go fly a kite!
In honor of the great Afghan tradition of kite flying, get together with your friends, purchase some kites and promote a kite flying event at your neighborhood park. People making a donation will be given a kite and get to fly it. See how many kites can be flying at one time!
Raise awareness of our work through the local media
Write a short article about HTAC for your community newspaper. Do a radio or television interview – or arrange an interview between the station (or newspaper) and one of our HTAC officers in Virginia.
Make a presentation
Do you like to speak, or develop your speaking skills? Here’s your chance. Raise awareness and support for our work by speaking at a local community organization, school, place of worship, etc.
Help start an HTAC sponsorship program
HTAC provides an opportunity for individuals, groups, and organizations to become a sponsor for one of our model schools or any of our educational programs. Go to our website and read more about sponsorship as well as information about our schools and programs.
Get a local business or organization to support us
Perhaps it’s a local business or organization you already know; or one that may have a potential interest in children’s welfare. Some (larger) organizations often have their own employee giving programs or have a favorite charity. See if you can find one that might be interested in having HTAC become their charity of choice.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO? LET US KNOW AND HELP YOU GET STARTED!
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HTAC SUPPORTERS IN ACTION
HTAC is proud of the many individuals, groups, and organizations that have supported our work through community outreach, fundraisers, and other support. Here are just a few.
Moms Against Poverty (MAP), has been a major supporter for HTAC since November, 2008. MAP has raised funds to expand our literacy program and sponsor Rokhshana Girls School, one of HTAC’s model schools, in Kabul, Afghanistan. In October 2009 in Burlingame, California over 700 guests attended their annual gala, which raised funds for HTAC and three other charities. In March 2010, they held their Norooz Fundraising Gala at the Cherry Blossom Restaurant and Banquet Hall in Potomac Falls, Virginia, to support HTAC’s work and the work of several of its other preferred charities.
The Capt. Matthew Freeman USMC Memorial Fund Supports Literacy for Afghan Children
2009 "Fly-A-Kite" Event in Bellingham, WA Benefits HTAC
HTAC supporters from the greater Bellingham, Washington area held their 2nd Annual "fly-a-kite" event in June, 2009 at Boulevard Park with proceeds going to supporting HTAC.
Students at Western Washington University Sponsor Event to Benefit HTAC
In 2008, students at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington organized a kite flying event and fundraiser at their campus. The event was to celebrate Afghanistan’s proud tradition of kite flying while bringing greater awareness of HTAC’s work to students and the general public.
The Afghan Student Association at the University of Toronto in Mississauga
The Afghan Student Association at the University of Toronto in Mississauga selected HTAC as their charity of choice, and held a fundraising event where they served Afghan food and showed slides and films about Afghanistan. Their successful effort raised money to support HTAC’s
“Read Afghanistan” literacy program.
http://www.jamierubinstudios.com
Jamie Rubin Studios is dedicated to bringing awareness to global social issues through the publication and distribution of Fine Art books and forming partnerships with organizations that work to change social conditions. Proceeds from one of her books “The Salang Pass: Artifacts of Recollection” are being donated to support our work.
Cyclists for Afghanistan Children
Cyclists for Afghanistan Children (CFAC) is a group of dedicated U.S. Marines (and athletes), who are cycling and raising funds to help support Mustaghni Boys School in Kabul, Afghanistan. The CFAC effort was organized by Andy Christian, a Major in the Marine Corps who is currently stationed at Bagram Airbase, just north of Kabul.
Andy and his fellow Marines originally got involved in fundraising efforts in 2006 by competing in Ironman triathlons and other endurance events to support families of slain or wounded Marines in Iraq and now they wish to do the same for the children of Afghanistan; particularly the students at Mustaghni.
With so much attention these days devoted to educating girls, HTAC is delighted that CFAC wishes to support this school of approximately 650 boys. Afghan boys who grow up uneducated and unemployed are highly vulnerable to extremist elements (which perpetuate the cycle of violence and terrorism in the country). With supporters like CFAC and other donors, HTAC wants to give these youth a quality education and skills (like computer literacy), so they can grow to become proud, productive citizens and help move Afghanistan away from constant war and toward peace and stability.
HTAC will be reporting on funds raised by Cyclists for Afghanistan Children (CFAC) and where these monies will go to support Mustaghni Boys School. Total funds raised to date: $1,000 (Thank you CFAC!) |
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Mustaghni Boys School in Kabul, Afghanistan
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What Do Program Volunteers Receive?
- The personal satisfaction and fulfillment of being a part of a very special organization that is making a difference in the live of thousands of Afghan children, their teachers, their families, and communities.
- An HTAC T-Shirt
- A DVD film that chronicles our work
- Their name (and volunteer work) listed on our website and other literature
For more information about our involvement programs, contact us by e-mail or call (703) 848-0407.
HTAC FILM SCREENING & FUNDRAISER
Right In Your Own Home!
Would you like to be involved in a fun and informative way to not only bring friends and family together, but to help support HTAC's work in providing quality education to the children of Afghanistan?
If so, HTAC is looking for interested supporters to hold a "fundraiser screening" of a new short film “Path to Brightness" -17 Minutes- which gives a wonderful overview of HTAC's projects and programs in Afghanistan.
By inviting family, friends, neighbors, and anyone you feel would be interested in learning about our efforts to restore Afghanistan's devastated educational system, HTAC hopes to reach out to more and more people who want to become active in supporting education for Afghanistan's children.
If you are interested in getting involved, then please:
Call Us: 1-703-848-0407 (toll-free) or Email us: info@htac.org
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