New heights in volunteerism: the efforts of the six ASAE Summit Award winners speak the truth: Associations make society better.

IT'S HARD WORK GETTING to the top. Just ask this year's six Summit Award winners, whose Associations Advance America (AAA) Award submissions competed against nearly 300 other entries to receive one of ASAE's highest honors. Part of an initiative to show the value of voluntary associations to society, Summit Awards are given to organizations that implement innovative, community-based programs across the country in areas such as public education, skills training, and community service.

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Says AAA Committee Chairman Daniel Fullenkamp, senior vice president, Wachovia Bank, McLean, Virginia: "We are continually amazed and impressed at the quality of new programs and services being generated by associations each year to benefit our communities locally and [nationally]." Programs honored in 2003 ran the gamut--from providing free dental care to low-income children to performing emergency service missions following September 11, 2001. "All of our winners exemplify the broad mission of associations to unite behind society's common goals and values," says Fullenkamp, telling the stories of association accomplishments to Congress and other decision makers, local and national media, and the general public.

Something to smile about

American Dental Association, Chicago

The goal: Stimulate new volunteer programs nationwide to help provide free dental care to low-income children. The solution: Capitalize on corporate, nonprofit, and volunteer help.

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With the assistance of corporate sponsors, nonprofit organizations, and several thousand volunteers, the American Dental Association launched the first annual Give Kids a Smile program (GKAS) on February 21, 2003. During the one-day event, dentists and volunteers across the country provided free dental care to nearly 1 million children at more than 5,000 locations--an estimated $100 million in free dental work.

The resounding success of the program led to immediate planning for GKAS 2004. According to Clayton B. Mickel, ADA associate director of communications, more than 6,000 dentists have registered for the day and the four corporate sponsors from 2003 have returned--many of which have increased their donations from last year. Moreover, Volunteers in Health Care, an affiliate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has agreed to provide up to $50,000 in grants to GKAS and similar access programs. Says ADA Executive Director James B. Bramson, "We truly can be proud of this phenomenal program and the teamwork among members, societies, leaders, staff, and our corporate sponsors that made [GKAS] so successful."

Taking labs online

American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Washington, D.C.

In 2000, with the growing popularity of online medical sites such as WebMD, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry realized that while plenty of online resources for general medical advice were available, no sites focused specifically on laboratory testing. Through its market research, AACC identified a definite need for an online resource representing the professional lab community. Aided by advice from other professional societies and a corporate sponsorship, AACC set out to create that resource. In July 2001, Lab Tests Online (www.labtestsonline.org) went live. Two years later, it has served more than 1 million users and includes 14 association collaborators.

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Averaging 200,000 visitors a month, Lab Tests Online is one of the Web's leading patient education sites, offering noncommercial, peer-reviewed information on medical lab tests. The site ranks high on the Google search engine and has been cited in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal and U.S. News & World Report. Visitors to the site can view descriptions of specific laboratory tests, read related articles, and submit questions. Feedback for the site has been over-whelmingly positive, with 81 percent of users--both patients and medical professionals--saying they would recommend the resource to others.

The next step, according to Executive Producer George B. Linzer, is internationalizing the site. By May 2004, Linzer hopes to launch Lab Tests Online-U.K.--a joint effort between AACC and the British Association of Clinical Biochemists. Plans are also in the works to develop language-specific versions of the site for Germany, Italy, and Spain. "Lab Tests Online is very good at shedding light on an area of medical care that, for many people, had been invisible," says Linzer. "With a population accustomed to knowing all kinds of details about itself and the world it lives in, Lab Tests Online is filling an important role in providing lab testing information in a credible and easily accessible manner."

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Operation teacher relocation

Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, Orlando

As the fourth most populous state in the country--with an expected population increase of 15 percent by 2010, Florida has a lot of children to educate. No region feels the education crunch more than Central

Florida, one of the fastest growing regions in the state--Orange County alone takes in 5,000 new students each year. To keep up with this annual influx of students, school systems in Central Florida are forced to recruit new teachers from outside the state. Until 1999, out-of-state recruitment presented the public school systems with a problem: how to pay for the transitional stays of the newly recruited teachers. That's when the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association stepped in. Partnering with the school systems of Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties, CFHLA established the Teacher Relocation Program, which offers new teachers two weeks worth of free hotel stays while they settle into their new community. "This opportunity helps |the teachers| transition to this new market in a much more calm manner," says CFHLA President Richard Maladecki, CAE. "They do not feel pressed to make hasty decisions on where to live."

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More than 80 percent of the hotels in Central Florida participate in the program, which sponsors an average of 50 teachers each year. In the five years since the program's launch, CFHLA members have contributed more than $1 million in room donations to support area schools. "Children are our future, and educators can influence students tremendously," says Belinda Ortiz, CFHLA director of public policy. "It's important that our community support educators whenever possible, and CFHLA has found a unique way to offer its support."

Heroes of the sky

Civil Air Patrol, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, brought out the heroic sides of tens of thousands of Americans nationwide. While firefighters, police officers, and military personnel performed emergency services on the ground at the disaster sites, the Civil Air Patrol took to the sky. With more than 20,000 volunteers on call, CAP air crews flew reconnaissance and damage assessment flights over the World Trade Center site, taking some of the first overhead photos used by emergency management agencies. The CAP crews also transported thousands of pints of blood from around the country during the crisis. "It's a tribute to their hard work in training, maintaining equipment, and cultivating resources that [CAP crews] were so well prepared to respond when the nation faced an emergency of that magnitude," says CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Richard L. Bowling.

As the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP regularly has volunteers working in emergency services, as well as on counterdrug and homeland security missions. In 2002 alone, CAP performed thousands of search and rescue and disaster relief missions and was credited with saving 72 lives. Moreover, CAP continues to conduct homeland security missions over important infrastructure sites throughout the country.

Teaching quality care

International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, Chicago

With significantly less funds and resources than Western countries such as Canada and the United States, developing countries are at a disadvantage in providing adequate HIV/AIDS care. In an effort to decrease the international AIDS care gap, a team of 54 physicians led by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) created GALEN--The Global AIDS Learning and Evaluation Network. Working together, the team created an educational program that would produce certified AIDS care physicians. Says IAPAC President and CEO Jose Zuniga, "[GALEN] is the vision of an international team of physicians and allied health care professionals who are dedicated to creatively and effectively addressing a problem that plagues efforts to stem the destruction of global AIDS--a lack of trained health care professionals."

With a curriculum specifically tailored to resource-limited environments and an examination at the end of the program, GALEN trains physicians in the care and treatment issues surrounding HIV clinical management. Composed of 15 modules from which training centers or physicians can pick and choose, GALEN is flexible and able to meet the needs of a physician or care center in a variety of environments. Those who successfully pass the examination at the end of the course receive official certification as an HIV Care Specialist, a designation that is recognized internationally by medical associations and academic institutions.

While GALEN has yet to be integrated into health care training systems in the United States, the educational program has enhanced HIV/AIDS care for countless men and women worldwide. With headquarters in Chicago and regional offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Geneva, IAPAC and GALEN have established themselves as leading forces in the fight against AIDS.

Coping with grief

Minnesota Funeral Directors Association, Minneapolis

In 2001, the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) launched Camp Amanda-Minnesota, a two-day camp designed to help children ages 6-13 who have experienced the death of a loved one. Two years later, Camp Amanda-Minnesota is a success. Last year MFDA conducted three separate camps, helping guide a total of 141 children and their families through the grieving process. "The camp is a blend of fun activities and serious time for talking, sharing, and memorializing the person who died," says MFDA Executive Director Kelly F. Guncheon, CAE. "It is set up with the goal that the campers learn they are not alone and that sadness and anger are normal feelings when someone we love dies."

After deciding to open the camp in 2001, MFDA established a 501(c)(3) organization, the Minnesota Foundation for Children, to administer the program and then launched an aggressive fundraising campaign. In 2002, the foundation raised more than $110,000 from MFDA members. According to Guncheon, the fundraising campaign was successful because to MFDA members the camp was a logical extension of their daily work. Moreover, as a positive, community-minded activity, the camp energized the members and reinforced the value of membership, as only MFDA members can sponsor campers.

Camp Amanda-Minnesota has planned no vacation from campers despite the busy year. The goal for 2004: Match last year's three camps, if not hold four. "Camp Amanda-Minnesota has far exceeded our expectations," says Guncheon. "It is an incredible example of how by working together we can create something much greater than the sum of its parts."

MORE INFO

For more information on the Associations Advance America Awards, deadlines, and eligibility, visit www.asaenet.org/aaa/aaaawards.

Jesse Alter is editorial assistant for ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT. E-mail: [e-mail].