(Seattle, WA) - On June 20th over 150 attendees gathered for the Third Annual International Roundtable on Service and Volunteering at the Microsoft Corporate Headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Representatives from a wide range of organizations active in international service - corporations, NGOs, and officials from the public sector - attended this one day conference which has become the largest annual gathering of international volunteer service leaders in the United States.

Jack Hawkins, Director of the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity at USAID, opened this year's roundtable by noting the importance of bringing together government, the private sector and NGO communities, in order to effectively prepare for and respond to global disasters. Mr. Hawkins shared a presidential message with those gathered commemorating the event. Introducing best selling author John Barry as the event's keynote speaker, Hawkins commented that effective disaster response requires an appropriate historic context.

Barry, author of two critically acclaimed historical novels -- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America and The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History, about the 1918 flu pandemic, -- discussed the vital role of history in shaping disaster response. Regarding the response to the 1927 flood, he commented on the importance of strong leadership and the ability to contain and overcome bureaucratic challenges. On the 1918 flu pandemic Barry noted the courage and commitment of first responders in the U.S. -- doctors, nurses and police officers -- who continued to do their jobs while others fled the deadly 1918 virus.

Mr. Barry's speech was followed by three panel discussions; each focused on an important element of disaster response and featured speakers from government, and leading U.S. companies and NGOs.

The first panel, moderated by Barry, addressed critical lessons learned from recent disasters such as the South Asia tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan, and Hurricane Katrina. Various perspectives on this topic were discussed by the following panelists: Mark Ward, Bureau for Asia and the Near East, USAID; Jean Collier, General Electric; Mario Flores, Habitat for Humanity International; and Marsha Meeks Kelly, Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service.

The second panel examined the current inventory of resources and reviewed promising emerging trends in technology and infrastructure. Insights into the strategic thinking of leading government, NGO and private sector responders were provided by panelists David Eisner, Corporation for National and Community Service, Robert Goodwin, Points of Light Foundation; Jerry Cochran, Microsoft Corporation; Christ Walti, Accenture Technology Labs; and Janet Pace, Volunteer! Baton Rouge.

The last panel represented a "call to action" of those gathered. Co-facilitated by Matt Morrison, Pacific NorthWest Economic Region and David Caprara, Empowerment Consultants International, this panel called upon attendees to consider steps for improving their collaboration and better coordinating their efforts in responding to future disasters. Panelists included: Ande Miller, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster; Liam D. Leduc Clarke, APCO Worldwide; Kay Hiramine, Humanitarian International Services Group; and Jeff Hoffman, Disney Worldwide Outreach.

A wide range of topics were discussed during the event including the role of technology in volunteer management; lessons learned from recent global disasters; how nonprofits and corporations can better work together; the importance of volunteer training; and improving emergency response communications.

The event culminated in the creation of a working group that will continue to meet during 2006 to develop a global action plan to more effectively respond to future disasters.

The year's roundtable was especially timely in light of recent reports that American philanthropy is at its highest level in six years due to the urgent needs created by three natural disasters - the tsunami in Asia, the earthquake in Pakistan and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The 2006 International Roundtable was convened by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network (POLF) and the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) at USAID.

The one-day event followed the National Conference on Volunteering and Service June 18-20 in Seattle, Washington.

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View photos from the event

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