Founders' Day - AFS-USA

For over 100 years, AFS has brought people together to create a more peaceful world through awareness and action. This legacy was built through the dedication of our AFS Founders, who transformed our organization into a vehicle for change that would spread across the globe throughout the 20th century and beyond. As a network of 55+ partners worldwide, AFS has evolved through the generations and empowered each member of our community to become active global citizens through the intercultural exchange experience, and it all started with a group of volunteer ambulance drivers.

Illustrated doodle of an old fashioned ambulance.

Join our community of AFS-USA volunteers

Our History

The Beginning

In April 1914, during the outbreak of World War I, A. Piatt Andrew founded the American Field Service (AFS), a volunteer ambulance corps providing humanitarian aid to wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. By the time the U.S. entered the war in 1917, 2,500 AFS ambulance and camion drivers had participated in every major French battle and carried more than 500,000 wounded. The service of these courageous drivers continued through World War II, where 2,196 volunteers served in regions across the globe, carrying more than 700,000 casualties.

In 1946, AFS volunteers from both World Wars transformed the organization into a secondary student exchange program. Under the leadership of Stephen Galatti, these volunteers set forth with the spirit of their service – to maintain and strengthen the international connections they fostered through their humanitarian work. After the first AFS secondary school students arrived in the U.S. in 1947 on a scholarship program, AFS continued to grow throughout the 20th century – expanding to other countries, establishing additional exchange programs for volunteers and teachers, and increasing opportunities for people-to-people diplomacy through the host family experience.

AFS-USA Today

As part of a global network of AFS partners, AFS-USA now offers international exchange and education opportunities in over 40 countries and hosts exchange students from 80 countries. True to the spirit of our humanitarian beginnings, these intercultural programs are made possible by the dedicated work of more than 32,000 AFS Volunteers worldwide, 2,500 of which support students, families, and schools across the U.S. Our immersive study abroad programs and hosting opportunities vary in length from a few weeks to a full academic year, each coordinated with the goal of fostering intercultural and global competence in our students, host families, schools, and communities. This cultural exchange helps us come together, just as our founders intended, to build a more peaceful world.

The AFS Exchange

Check out this collection of episodes to travel through time and across continents with The AFS Exchange podcast. From wartime ambulance drivers to life-changing student exchanges, hear the personal stories that shaped AFS – and global citizens – through service, friendship, and curiosity.

Listen Now

Our Legacy

A. Piatt Andrew

A. Piatt Andrew, a former Director of the United States Mint and Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University, volunteered as an ambulance driver for the American Ambulance Hospital in January 1915 during World War I. At the time of Andrew’s arrival, the ambulance drivers at the hospital primarily ferried patients from the train stations in Paris to hospitals around the city. Later becoming Inspector General of the Hospital’s Transportation Committee, Andrew successfully negotiated with the French Army to have some ambulance sections of the hospital work closer to the front lines of battle. Spearheaded by Andrew, these ambulance sections later came to be known as the “American Field Service.”

Stephen Galatti

Stephen Galatti first joined the American Field Service in 1915, serving as second in command to founder A. Piatt Andrew and later becoming Director General of AFS in 1935. When World War II broke out in 1939, AFS was reactivated as a volunteer ambulance corps, and the first unit of American drivers sailed from New York on March 23, 1940, joining the veteran drivers of WWI who’d served in Europe. At the rank of Colonel, Galatti lead 2,196 volunteer ambulance drivers through World War II. After the war, he served as President of AFS for the remainder of his life, later transforming the corps into an international exchange organization serving communities across the globe.

Members of the AFS community have participated in key moments of our country’s history, particularly in the second half of the 20th century, when our intercultural exchange programs began to take off and expose communities across the world to our founders’ mission of creating a more just and peaceful world.

AFS Bus Trips

Black and white photo of students posing in front of a bus.

One of the most memorable parts of our history was the first AFS bus trip for participants. In the summer of 1948, 29 AFSers embarked on a cross-country trip to connect with U.S. communities with the goal of raising awareness about intercultural connections and promoting the benefits of our programs for all. Stops along the way included the White House in Washington, D.C., the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Michigan, the Seven Falls of Colorado, and a baseball game in Tennessee. These bus trips continued throughout the second half of the 20th century and proved not only to be an effective tool for person-to-person diplomacy, but also as an exciting and unforgettable experience for AFSers and community members alike.

President John F. Kennedy's Speech

President John F. Kennedy giving a speech to a crowd outside.

In July of 1963, President John F. Kennedy spoke to AFS exchange students on the South Lawn of the White House. In his speech, he stated “[We hope] that your visit to the United States will serve not only to provide a link with us, which we hope you will maintain, but also will broaden your horizons so that in your own country you can be the kind of citizen of which they are proud, of which they will support and to whom they will look to for leadership.” Aside from the personal connections and cultural competence gained through our programs, AFS participants of every generation have had a direct impact on the course of our nation’s history, perpetuating the peace and understanding our founders envisioned.

Our Drivers

Check out this podcast episode of The AFS Exchange, with guest Steve Riford, one of the AFS Ambulance Drivers during WWII.

Steve shares stories of his time with the American Field Service- from boat rides and bagpipes to loud cannons and lost windshield wipers. After volunteering with AFS, Steve became a member of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

Our Volunteers

Although AFS has transformed over the last century, volunteers today continue to drive our mission of peace among nations, just like the brave members of the American Field Service who came before them.

Join Our Mission

Inspired to drive our mission forward? Become a volunteer and help create more active global citizens while passing peace forward! Your involvement truly makes a difference.

Honor our founders by helping the next generation of global citizens!

Your support helps AFS-USA continue its mission of fostering peace and understanding through intercultural exchange. Every dollar provides life-changing opportunities for students to experience the world.

Donate to AFS-USA

Founders’ Day

Celebrating the legacy that drives us