NYAVA: How it all began

In October 1996 the Association for Volunteer Administration voted at its annual meeting to disband the regional format under which it had been operating. At that time New York City was part of Region 2, an unwieldy geographic area that included, New York, New Jersey, Ontario and Quebec. The new system would allow alliances to be set up in any manner suitable to the area, i.e., by state, city, or like organizations: whatever seemed appropriate or meaningful.

The Co-Chair of Region 2 from 1991-1996 was Mitzi Bhavnani. During her tenure and with the help of other local volunteer managers, an AVA endorsed Apprenticeship Program was begun in 1992. Frequent professional development workshops were scheduled and three all-day conferences on volunteer management were held in collaboration with major NYC agencies. A New York City Leadership Council had already been formed and it took on the job of planning for a structured successor organization. Jarene Frances Lee, who succeeded Mitzi as co-chair of Region 2, set up a restructuring task force to plan for a NYC association. It began to meet in February 1997. By that summer an interim roster of officers was designated.

In the fall of 1997, NYAVA held its first election. The elected Board took office in January 1998, with Carol Friedland as the first president of NYAVA.

Click here for details of NYAVA's history.