Profile: Software, hard work
Al Kalter, Rotary Club of Mandarin, Florida, USA
Al Kalter is a passionate believer in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. He was the Youth Exchange chairman for Rotary District 7150 in New York, and when he later relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, USA, for a new job, he started a program there.
Al Kalter
Photo by Edward Linsmier
But as the paperwork started to stack up, “I decided I needed to combine my vocation with my avocation,” says Kalter, vice president and programmer analyst for APPX Software Inc. The result was the creation of a database management system that now performs virtually all of the functions needed to manage the Youth Exchange program.
“Our software significantly reduces the time that Youth Exchange volunteers need to spend on clerical, technical, and organizational efforts,” Kalter says.
The software makes it easier for Youth Exchange teams to access information, file required reports with the U.S. State Department, check flight schedules, make host family changes, and perform many other functions.
The tool, known as Rotary YEAH! (Youth Exchange Administration Hub), caught the attention of other districts and is supporting Youth Exchange programs in 132 districts. Kalter and APPX donated the time for development of the system – by some estimates, a value of $250,000 to $500,000.
“It’s been amazing to me to see how it’s taken off,” he says. “It’s a really big application, and people are really happy about it.”
– Nikki Kallio