My Nonprofit Reviews
Josiah Todd
Review for Alliance for International Reforestation, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA
I volunteered to work with AIR last summer, the year before my junior year of college. I went to Guatemala for one month with two fellow students and Dr. Anne Hallum and we based our operations primarily out of Chimaltenango. Daily, we would get picked up by local technicians who are familiar with the people in the surrounding areas and their languages. After breakfast, we would ride out in our pickup trucks to all kinds of neighborhoods who took it upon themselves to raise tree nurseries for the pines we would plant throughout the month alongside the farmers, technicians, and other volunteers. We looked over beautiful landscapes and saw the scars on mountainsides from landslides and remembered why we were doing what we were doing. We had a cause, a purpose, and we had friends with us all the time, new and old. We established relationships with strangers based upon general good will and I honestly believe we improved the lives of some of these people to a large degree, especially those who we donated stoves to before spending many hours building the sturdy and efficient kitchen commodities. It seems amazing to think that a stove could be such a significant thing to some because it is so basic and obvious to people like me. But, I must say, giving a gift like that which is so critical to quality of life is truly a beautiful thing. Time and effort can be recognized as some of the most valuable things in life and they are readily received as such. The purity and sincerity of taking part in a project that is intended solely for someone else is reciprocated to the person doing the giving. This is what I learned through AIR. People can love each other in such a basic way, without knowing names, or even the same language. Lead by example and give all you can by taking advantage of the things you are blessed with. The world can learn this and be overwhelmed by the beauty of the earth and all it supports: habitats, people, and the relationships between them all.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
...the way I conduct myself on a regular basis. I've carried the lessons and the beauty I experienced in Guatemala with AIR back to the USA and have tried to perpetuate and embody them continuously as best I could. The genuine attitudes and generosity were striking enough for me to want to maintain them forever. I will absolutely volunteer again with AIR and anywhere else I can.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
It's outstanding as is.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
What one change could this group make that would improve your volunteer experience?
I had an unprecedented experience.
Did your volunteer experience have an effect on you? (teaching you a new skill, or introducing new friends, etc.)
YES! I love the people I went with, the people I met there, and the general nature of the work. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life, not just because of the natural beauty, but because of the humanity as well.
How did this volunteer experience make you feel?
See previous answers.
