by “Emergency Servas”

We all know about the devastating Los Angeles area fires, which cost at least two US Servas members their homes. This disaster motivated us to form a group we’re calling “Emergency Servas,” charged with developing procedures for matching Servas members who have lost housing due to natural disasters with members able to offer hosting, possibly for extended stays. (We also hope to identify opportunities beyond hosting for members to support others in need.) The recent Kentucky floods add to the urgency of putting such a program in place.

In a few parts of the country, groups of Servas members hold regular or occasional gatherings or activities. We believe that local Servas groups can be invaluable in identifying members in need and putting them in touch with potential hosts.

But what local groups exist? We know of a few, probably not all, and we’d like to compile a more complete database. So… please let us know about your local group. Just tell us your geographic area and who should be contacted for further information. Anything else you wish to add about your activities would be welcome, as would more voices joining our team.

If your area does not have a local group, please consider this a gentle nudge! There is no official way to form or maintain a local group – just organize something and publicize it locally. The Events Team can help! Please share the news with “Emergency Servas.”

If the Kentucky floods have left you in need of housing assistance, or you can offer some, please contact Emergency Servas.  And please keep an eye on Open Doors for further information about the work of Emergency Servas.

David Schwartz   •  Deirdre Marlowe   •  Johan Cavert   •  Mary Bryant-Mason

It has not been an auspicious start to 2025 for those of us who live in greater Los Angeles. The latest are the devastating fires consuming 50,000 acres, requiring the evacuation of more than 200,000 people and destroying more than 16,000 homes, The destruction is estimated to be $50 billion, with only $20 billion insured.

One person severely affected by the fires is Paige LaCombe, former US Servas Board member, former Servas International Peace Secretary, and current Servas delegate to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Paige lost her beautiful home and everything in it and has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help people in her circle of friends and family. Paige's sister and family also lost everything, including their business in addition to their home. To date 264 people have donated $32,245. If you are able, please donate something to this fund.

On a positive note, the fires have prompted California members David Schwartz and Deirdre Marlowe to launch an assistance effort for the LA fire victims. They are asking Southern California Servas members to offer what assistance they might – lodging, storage, clothing, etc. to fellow members (or anyone) in need because of the fires. If you can offer any assistance or want to help in any way with the effort, please contact Deirdre Marlowe at deirdre.marlowe@usservas.org. Likewise, if you know of other Servas members affected by the fire, please pass that information along to Deirdre.

Deirdre and David are now working on a longer-term project organizing a US Emergency Response team to assist with future natural disasters throughout the Servas community, not just California. If you are interested in working with this team, please contact Deirdre.

Two-Bedroom Apartment Available - One result of the outreach effort is finding a two-bedroom sublet available in Sherman Oaks, CA. Contact Deirdre if you’re interested.

by Leena Desai with Alana Allekotte

Earlier this year when I hosted a Servas Board Retreat at my home, we decided to host a Meet and Greet dinner with NC Servas members. While organizing the event, some local members mentioned meeting Servas members from other countries, but never meeting any US members. It is equally important to build connections across cultures within our neighborhood and town as much as it is globally. Doing so fosters a sense of community and belonging within our membership.

The very first gathering of NC Members was planned with the help of Mary Behar as an October 24^th potluck at my house. We had twenty or so enthusiastic participants, a family with three young children, new members, some longtime members and some who were interested in learning more about Servas. We shared stories of our Servas experiences, gave some tips and pointers to one another, and built new friendships between attendees.

As a Board member, it gave me a chance to talk about the changes in Servas’ structure since we became an all-volunteer organization, the history of Servas, the importance of hosting, and members volunteering their time and expertise to Servas, what is happening now and where we are going as an organization, and about upcoming conferences in 2025, Pan American Conference in Costa Rica and SICOGA in France.

All in all, we enjoyed meeting and getting to know one another and decided to plan local gatherings periodically, maybe every other month or quarterly. Thank you all who found time in their busy life and came to this gathering.

Here are the words of Alana Allekotte. She grew up having Servas experiences and now wanting to do the same with her young family:

“This was the first time I've interacted with Servas members since our trip to Japan a few years back. We stayed with two Servas families on our trip, and it was my partner's first Servas travel experience. Those two Servas stays make up some of the most memorable moments from our three-week winter excursion through Japan, and we haven't interacted with any Servas members since then with the COVID pandemic and the birth of our three children."

"The only travel we've done since 2020 is to visit family in their various places around the US, and with three little kids it was definitely a choice to head to an adult centric potluck that was scheduled to end past bedtime on a Saturday evening. Had it not been for the promise of good conversation and good food we would certainly have declined the invitation, but I'm so glad we attended."

"The potluck was such a renewal of my faith in an organization that brings people together over their love of meeting new people and learning about one another. The host shared details about the worldly objects in her home, a member shared aqua kefir and aloe plant babies, a member told a story of just returning from a cycling trip in Europe, and all were very tolerant of our loud little ones jumping and screaming in the middle of our conversation circle."

"It was a pleasure to be in the company of people who value conversation, sharing, and learning. I'm looking forward to the next get-together and to the next opportunity to make new Servas friends.”

Volunteers Feel Left Out...   Anon

During COVID US Servas fell into dire straits. We didn’t know if we would survive, but a lot of us heard the call, rolled up our sleeves, and took it on. Of course, as with any volunteer situation, some contribute more than others, but still— Servas is an organization about people.   

Several years and many changes later,a number of our committed volunteers feel left out. Things have changed so much. We've become computerized and so organized that the people part of the volunteering, the people part of being a Servas member has taken a back seat to the systems and organization.  

A former local interviewer reached out to a former regional coordinator to ask when she might be trained to start interviewing again. Since she doesn’t have a US Servas address, she had not received the invitation email for the training. An advantage of having regional coordinators who interview is that they get to know many of the people in their area and can create events that bring their regions together.  

Another local member reached out to ask when our next area event would be. The former regional coordinator could not say because anybody can schedule and announce an event once approved through the events team, but few who weren’t regional coordinators want to go through the hoops. It somehow feels, in spite of all the positive changes, that some babies have been thrown out with the bath water. Let’s step back and re-evaluate. 

Editor's Note - The board recognizes this as an important issue. In the years since COVID the focus has been to understand our new computer systems and survive as an all-volunteer organization. Now is the time to focus on our core... people connections. We hope to see meaningful progress this year. 

by Deirdre Marlowe 

Just your typical Los Angeles Friendsgiving high on a hill in Encino on Saturday, November 11^th. Our host, Brian Saltsburg, set up dining tables in two rooms. One of the rooms had a wall of books and a fireplace (photo).  Brian is currently working with Servas youth and setting up an active SYLE program. Photo - Clockwise from Left: Brian Saltsberg, Quynh Nguyen, Paige LaCombe, Jennifer McDaniel, Todj Mandel, the author.

It was our third Friendsgiving. Attendees included Todj and Natasha, hosts of the first dinner, and Paige LaCombe, host of the second. It was a very Servas Thanksgiving... a former Vietnamese child refugee long married to an Israeli American, a refugee from the Ukraine, a woman who spent her career as a pilot.  Board Chair Dick Weaver made the drive up from Oceanside with his wife Patti. Sainath and Chitra Chandavarkar brought Eve of Diwali sweets. Others came and cooked for the potluck as well – some even tried new dishes, perhaps in advance of the Thanksgiving feast on the horizon. A good time was had by all. 

From left: Dick Weaver, Board Chair, Natasha Mandel, Paige LaCombe, Sai Chandavarkar, Todj Mandel

by Jacqueline Barnhardt & Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh 

Nebraska Servas members, Jacqueline Barnhardt and Wooly Wooldridge hosted a 9x13 themed picnic for members and guests in Wooly’s Big Back Yard in Lincoln, Nebraska on September 17^th. Guests were encouraged to bring food in a 9x13 inch baking pan to celebrate National 9x13 Day usually held on September 13.  Jacqueline was the one who originally submitted the idea to create a 9x13 Holiday in 2017 and it was featured in Food Network Magazine. This 9x13 picnic coincided with their hosting of Servas Taiwan General Secretary, JoJo Jen accompanied by two other Taiwan Servas members, Fifi Tsai and Alecia Chen for a few days of culinary exchange and more.  

All members from the Great Plains region were invited. Three states were represented: new Servas member Nettie Myers from South Dakota, Tim Sullivan (US Servas Board member and interviewer) and Charlotte Miller-Sullivan (interviewer) from Iowa, Ingrid Kirst, Jeff Epler, Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh (US Servas Board Secretary), Elba Cera, Charles & Barbara Francis from Nebraska.  Two guests,  Cathron Cole O’Connor and Brett Jurgens, joined Servas!  American songbook musical entertainment was provided by Sharon Kreimer and Bobby Gadoury.  Building peace, one picnic and one conversation at a time works and we hope to repeat this event next year. In all 32 people attended. 

If you would like to host a local gathering for your Servas community -perhaps around the visit of Servas travelers, a museum tour, hike or just for the heck of it - our US Servas Events Team can help get the word out! Use the Request Local Event Support link found on our website.  

by Renee Riley 

Renee Riley is a resident of Maui and a member of US Servas for more than two decades. She has a regular blog post, Where in the World Are Barry and Renee in which she recently posted information about the aftermath of the devastating fires that destroyed much of Lahaina (not too far from where Renee lives) and other parts of the island. The fires started on August 8^th, and as of August 24^th, some of the fires continued to burn. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. 

Immediately after the fires were first reported several US Servas board members reached out to Renee to make sure she and her large circle of friends and family were okay. Renee, who is most definitely a glass half full person, recently posted about some of the people on the island “caught doing good.”  These include Kerri Winner and Dave Krick, owners of Hot Yoga in Kihei. “

Kerri - All of our yoga instructors are volunteering where they see a need. Amber helps to find long-term shelter for families. Samantha is working on boats that take food, water and fuel directly to the people in Lahaina. Rhema is also buying supplies through donations. The rest of our staff members are volunteering with the Red Cross at the shelters and donation locations. We are blessed to have such an amazing group of people working with us in our studio. Thank you for seeing us, Renée!” Kerri and Dave are also sponsoring regular free decompression, sound bath and meditation events. 

Some of the staff of Hot Yoga in Kihei, Maui 

Local theaters are sponsoring free movies for children and donating 20% of their receipts to the Maui Food Bank. Some people have opened their homes to relief workers. 

While you may not be able to help in person, there are other ways you can help. Many organizations are looking for contributions – money can do the most good.  Consider giving to the Hawaii State Teachers’ Association fire fund for teachers and classrooms directly affected by the fires. Or the Maui Strong Fund. For more opportunities to help Maui make it through and recover go to a list from the Honolulu Civil Beat. 

by Lee Rowley 

Recently, US Servas received a $140,000 bequest from the James H. Edwards Trust. Jim Edwards was an avid US Servas member for nearly forty years and managed to build a thriving homestead in a very remote part of Alaska by his wits, determination, and clever mind. Here is some of his story.  

As a young man in 1953, James H. Edwards moved to McCarthy, Alaska to homestead in the remote wilderness mining town abandoned when Kennecott Copper Corp. abruptly ceased operations in 1938 and pulled out. This move required some extraordinary creativity to thrive.  

Jim lived in McCarthy continuously until his passing in 2016 at age 85, raising two children Stephen and Shelly with his first wife Maxine.  He obtained a pilot's license early in his career as it wasn’t easy to prosper in this remote area. There were no roads or connection to the city for many years, so flying was the only feasible option.  

There were many close calls involving outdoor adventures, cold and danger and travel over long distances. A great deal of fortitude, creativity, optimism and out-of-the-box thinking allowed him to make a living and raise a family while building a house, airstrip and hangar. "He was a jack of all trades. There was almost nothing he couldn't do."  

Jim built a car he dubbed Rigor Mortis from the parts of 1930s-era cars left behind and an airplane that he flew to Seattle. Jim was described as conserving, economizing and frugal, perhaps evidenced by his habit of reusing teabags repeatedly or collecting a large supply of scrap metal to use for making things he needed to avoid having to purchase them.He was known as the areas “foremost recycling genius.” Read more of his amazing story in this September 4, 2016 of the Anchorage Daily News.  

Jim joined Servas around 1980. Despite its being back of the beyond, over the year Jim hosted many Servas travelers from all over the world in McCarthy, several of whom became friends and important individuals in his life.  For example, Walter and Ursel from Switzerland returned several times and built a beautiful log cabin on Jim’s land.   Jim and his wife traveled extensively with Servas. Jim wrote long letters detailing the experiences and relationships with people who hosted him.  

What Jim valued were personal relationships, those meaningful transactions between people that underlie the human experience. It’s why Servas played such a significant role in Jim’s life.  Jim believed deeply in Servas, and the Servas principles of peace and cultural understanding.  That is why Jim earmarked this significant bequest to US Servas and the members charged with carrying its mission forward.  

The US Servas Board will continue to collaborate with Jim’s son, Stephen, to fulfill Jim’s vision of making the Servas spirit and adventure accessible to more people, especially our youth, with the ultimate goal of creating more peace in the world, one traveler at a time. 

Are You Getting the Servas International News? 

SI produces Servas News Bulletin on a quarterly basis. The most recent one was released as an email in January (Read Issue). It has been brought to our attention that some US Servas members are not receiving it. If you are not receiving the SI New Bulletin, please contact mts@servas.org.   

This follows on March 4th's Solidarity Meeting. By now, we have all heard about the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Our very own, Radha Radhakrishna, President of Servas International, reached out to members in Turkey about the disaster. Their responses follow. 

Message from Mehmet At eş, coordinator of the Servas Peace School and member of SI Youth and families Committee 

This is Mehmet Ateş, coordinator of Servas Peace School in my village of Ekinci, Antakya-Hatay Turkey. The epicentre was in Gaziantep.  Gaziantep is around 200 km from Ekinci. Images from nearby town of Dyarbakir on TV shows how terrible it is. The problem is that the buildings are not earthquake proof, otherwise the loss of human lives would not have been so dramatic.   

The region is Antakya. The nearest airport to Ekinci is Hatay airport, which is now closed because the destroyed tarmac uplifted, due to the tremors. So, the runway has been closed for flight operations. 

My village and Antakya are 60 km far from the border with Syria. We have casualties but less than in the city center. Victims in city center urgently and desperately need more search and rescue teams. Secondly, heaters, tents and blankets. The best way to send help is to do it via reliable organizations who act fast to reach the earthquake zones: Turk Kizilay Is one we choose. Thank you …  Servas is a real solidarity... 

Message from Gülşen Elyak, National Secretary, Servas Turkey and member of SI Internal Audit Committee 

Dear Radha and all the Servas members who are so intent to help and who reached out immediately to let us know that we are not alone... our gratitude is indescribable. As Mehmet, Esra, Tuana and the other witnesses of this disaster point out, we really need help physically and spiritually. Thank you so much for giving your support so freely and so humanly.  

Unfortunately, hundreds of aid organizations appear after every bad incident, so we will share with you the aid channel we trust most.  Visit the  Ahbap  (Dude) website make a donation.