Letter from the Chair – Winter 2025
Letter from the Chair – Winter 2025
by Joe Curro, Board Chair, American Pilgrims on the Camino
Dear Fellow Pilgrims,
The Pilgrim Office in 2024 issued nearly half a million compostelas, almost 40,000 of them to pilgrims from the United States. American pilgrims continue to account for the second-highest number of arrivals in Santiago. American Pilgrims on the Camino is here to support them and you.
From our Annual Gathering of Pilgrims to our Virtual Open House to the countless local, regional, and national events that occurred in 2024, we provide opportunities for pilgrims to gather together and share their Camino passion.
We are proud of our dedicated volunteers who train hospitaleros and welcome peregrinos at Ribadiso. We have increased our standard grant amount for nonprofit albergues and associations, and we are excited to support a new welcome center and albergue for pilgrims in Madrid.
Our logo depicts Puente la Reina. At our core, we are dedicated to building bridges between pilgrims here in our country and around the world. We have ramped up cultural exchanges with associations along the Camino. And our bridge-building activities will culminate in the May 2025 Gathering of Pilgrims in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that we are planning with the Canadian Company of Pilgrims.
American Pilgrims is guided by an 11-member volunteer board. With sadness, we say goodbye to Tom Labuzienski, who leaves us after six years of dedicated service. Tom was the driving force behind our annual Open House, which each December attracts many well-known Camino personalities. He also led the 2021 St. James’s Day Celebration in South Bend, IN, which brought together pilgrims in a spirit of service and sharing, and is being contemplated again.
We also thank Eryn-Ashlei Bailey, whose contributions to our board discussions this past year inspired us to take a fresh look at our organizational sustainability and how we do business.
With the new year, we welcome two new board members, Corinne Dougherty of the Salt Lake City, UT, area and Bob Wild from Chicago, IL. Between them, Bob and Corinne bring extensive skills and experience in law, finance, marketing and communications, the nonprofit sector, and volunteer management. Learn more about all our current board members here.
We are always looking for new volunteers to help with website development, technology, copy editing, member outreach, and much more. Could this be your year to devote time in service to the pilgrim community? Check out our volunteer opportunities, or contact us at membership@americanpilgrims.org to inquire about ways you can help.
¡Buen Camino!
Joe
Board Report – October 2024
Prepared by Allison Venuto, then-Secretary and now-Vice Chair, American Pilgrims on the Camino Board of Directors
The beginning of the meeting focused on updates from the Grants Committee. The Board approved offering grantees a plaque denoting their grant, if desired, starting with the 2024 recipients. Additionally, the group voted to increase individual grant requests from $6,000 to $10,000 and authorize a group to determine the viability of another possible large grant request.
American Pilgrims experienced multiple successes in 2024, including increasing traditional grants to 22 awarded (totaling $115,000) plus funding $60,000 for the Madrid Welcome Center, plans to engage new members and credential requestors, and adding an additional hospitalero trainer, among others. The board is grateful for all the volunteers who helped with these means of supporting pilgrims. Then, the group turned attention to goals for 2025 and beyond. Additionally, the group discussed meeting locations and cadence to best serve the organization’s needs.
Thankfully, despite slightly declining individual memberships, the organization is in a strong financial position with the 2025 budget and investments focused on long-term Camino support. The Board then discussed an overview of the 2025 Gathering and potential Gatherings and events in future years.
The following day, the team reviewed the Communications calendar to update pilgrims throughout the year. To assist with supporting volunteers and succession planning, the group decided to investigate adding a Volunteer Manager position. Further work will be done to determine the tasks and scope of this key volunteer who will help our organization. Lastly, as we welcome two new Board Members in January 2025, the Board considered the best ways to onboard them in a meaningful way. The Board expressed their gratitude for Tom Labuzienski’s six years of service!
The Board next planned to meet in late January 2025 via Zoom. As that meeting was set to occur after the Winter 2025 La Concha submission deadline, its meeting report will be shared in the next issue.
Your MEMBERSHIP in American Pilgrims on the Camino makes it possible for everyone to make the pilgrimage that is best for them. Thanks, as always, for your support and if you aren’t already a member, you can become one here.