• Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Donate
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer Portal
  • e-Catalog
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguada – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Groups
      • Corporate Volunteers
      • College Student Volunteers
      • High School Student Volunteers
      • Professional Assocation Volunteers
  • Individuals
      • Retiree Volunteer
      • Solo Traveler Volunteer
      • Family Volunteers
      • Professional Volunteer
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
      • How we Measure Impact
      • The Power of Giving Impact
      • One Child at a Time
      • RCP Program Documentary Film
      • Tanzania Food & Nutrition Center’s Impact Evaluation
      • ORG in Action
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • Matching Gifts
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Donate
  • Gift Catalog
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
  • –
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguada – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Groups
    • Corporate Volunteers
    • College Student Volunteers
    • High School Student Volunteers
    • Professional Assocation Volunteers
  • Individuals
    • Retiree Volunteer
    • Solo Traveler Volunteer
    • Family Volunteers
    • Professional Volunteer
  • Projects
    • Delivering Essential Services
    • Teaching Conversational English
    • Supporting Community Development
    • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
    • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
    • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
    • How we Measure Impact
    • The Power of Giving Impact
    • One Child at a Time
    • RCP Program Documentary Film
    • Tanzania Food & Nutrition Center’s Impact Evaluation
    • ORG in Action
  • Support
    • Donate Now
    • Changemakers Club – Monthly
    • Gift Catalog
    • Matching Gifts
    • More Ways to Give
    • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • News
  • Request Information
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
Volunteer Voices

Incredible Sue Surma – 25 Volunteer Programs

Global Volunteers salutes the incredible Sue Surma, a Global Volunteer and Volunteer Team Leader on 25 service programs since 1989.

CUB1505A1 Sue Surma 2,  right,  teaching conversational English

Sue engages Cuban students in English conversation.

She volunteered on her very first service program in Guatemala. From there she went on to serve as a Global Volunteer in Costa Rica (3 times), Vietnam, Mississippi (3 times), Ecuador, Mexico, Ireland (2 times), India (2 times), Romania, Ukraine, the Cook Islands, Peru, St. Lucia, Cuba (4 times) and West Virginia. Sue has always been there, not only as a Global Volunteer and a Volunteer Team Leader, but in countless other ways – providing us with additional support and help whenever we have been in need.  Her shining face is only a phone call away, and she’s there in a heartbeat.

Sue writes,

“When I am asked what Global Volunteers means to me, the answer is easy. Global Volunteers changed my life. From my first program in an isolated village in 1989 in Guatemala, my life has been filled with gratitude for the people and things in my life.

When I had to carry water from a water spigot two blocks from where I was staying, just to lay it in the sun to be able to take a hot shower, I became so grateful that I was able to return home and turn on a faucet and find that it was not only hot but safe to drink.

Sue cuddles an orphaned baby in Romania.

Sue cuddles an orphaned baby in Romania.

I was teaching an English class in a small village near Ho Chi Minh City and a family of one of the students invited me and my team to their two room home. The father went out to the backyard to get coconuts so we would have something to drink while we visited. I learned to be grateful that I had enough, maybe too much, to eat.

Or when I visited a handicapped child’s home in Quito, Ecuador and found eight people living in a cinderblock room the size of my ten by ten bedroom, I realized that I really did not need a bigger home and I was grateful for the small home I owned.

And how about the Global Volunteers service program at a “Failure to Thrive Clinic” in Lasti, Romania, where I took care of a five month old abandoned infant girl who did not even have a name. I often wonder what happened to Inga, the good Swedish Minnesotan name I gave her.  I may not have a lot but I do have a name and a family.

I am thankful to Global Volunteers for showing me all of the things I have to be grateful for. And take it from me, gratitude is absolutely all it’s cracked up to be.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
July 7, 2016/by Global Volunteers
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CUB1505A1-Sue-Surma-1-assisting-local-farmer-with-community-garden-1.jpg 813 2100 Global Volunteers https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Global Volunteers2016-07-07 16:29:242021-11-25 22:36:23Incredible Sue Surma – 25 Volunteer Programs

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (46)
  • Cuba (119)
  • Greece (75)
  • Italy (59)
  • Malaysia (3)
  • Montana (56)
  • Nepal (22)
  • Peru (120)
  • Poland (97)
  • Puerto Rico (5)
  • St Lucia (62)
  • Tanzania (253)
  • Texas (7)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (13)
  • Conversational English (97)
  • Cultures and Traditions (125)
  • Development Impact (122)
  • Family Volunteering (54)
  • Free Time Options (63)
  • Group Volunteering (18)
  • Mental Health Projects (15)
  • News and Updates (144)
  • Partners' Stories (18)
  • Projects for Professionals (26)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (246)
  • Ripple Effect (7)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (27)
  • Volunteer Voices (618)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cook Islands Volunteer vacaion Cook Island Volunteers Cuba people-to-people Cuba volunteering programs Earthbox gardens Essential Services family volunteer abroad family volunters food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition healthcare High school groups Island volunteers Labor projects live together in peace nursing retiree volunteers Spring break students volunteer student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader volunteer volunteer abroad volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer in Cuba volunteer in the Cook Islands volunteer vacation volunteer with seniors wage peace work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • DEIB policy
  • Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Volunteer Vacation FAQs
  • News/Media
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements and Accountability
  • Travel Risks
  • Site Map
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Link to: 18 Service Programs and Counting is Volunteer’s Legacy of Service Link to: 18 Service Programs and Counting is Volunteer’s Legacy of Service 18 Service Programs and Counting is Volunteer’s Legacy of Service Link to: An Inspiring Couple Volunteers 8 times Together! Link to: An Inspiring Couple Volunteers 8 times Together! An Inspiring Couple Volunteers 8 times Together!
Scroll to top