PEACE CORPS ENCORE: 'Today is my someday'
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A growing number of boomers are choosing encore careers with the Peace Corps. Spokeswoman Josie Duckett says in USA Today that applications of those age 50 and older have increased 50 percent since it launched a campaign targeting boomers last September.
Part of the appeal of the Peace Corps is that it was established by President John F. Kennedy, who was a role model for many boomers in their youth. The current campaign directed at boomers is called “Still Asking What You Can Do for Your Country?”
Loyci Stockey, 64, who recently left Seattle to start a Peace Corps assignment in Uganda, told USA Today that she never forgot JFK’s message when she heard it during high school. “I tucked it away in the back of my head to act on someday,” she said. “Today is my someday.”
Currently, 406 Americans in the Peace Corps fall into the “50 and above” age category – about 5 percent of all those serving. The organization aims to increase the number to 15 percent by 2010. The 50+ Volunteers section of its Web site answers frequently asked questions and includes an online application.
Among those working for the organization are Encore.org members Gale Lederer, Eric Goldman and Dorothy Schoeneman. Goldman, 59, directs a program with universities that offer master’s degrees to students who integrate Peace Corps work with their academic studies. Schoeneman, who joined the Peace Corps at age 64 and served as a health education volunteer in Mali, West Africa, now serves as a recruiter for the organization.
Other Encore.org members who have had encore careers in the Peace Corps include Dorothy Kay, who was 70 when she returned from her 27-month assignment in Thailand, where she taught English. Anthony Gasbarro was inspired by his Peace Corps assignment in El Salvador to commit his “retirement” to finding scholarships for poor rural children who want to attend high school. He has expanded the program from assisting eight students in 1998 to more than 230 during 2008.
Encore.org’s parent organization, Civic Ventures, has Peace Corps ties as well. Former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford (D-Penn.), who sits on the board of directors, worked closely with Sargent Shriver in creating the Peace Corps, then went on to serve as its special representative to Africa and director of its Ethiopia program. Civic Ventures COO Laura Chambers served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, an experience she calls “formative,” and she hopes to join the Corps again one day.
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- by Terry Nagel
Peace Corps Online Diary/Therapy
Interesting little item in the travel section of the Post today:
WORLD OF VOLUNTEERING
Armchair Peace Corps
CoGo was once young and idealistic, harboring fantasies of living in an African hut or Mongolian yurt, teaching the villagers about water filtration systems, health care or basket weaving. But alas, CoGo could never get beyond the multi-page Peace Corps application. However, those who did and are in the midst (or start) of their two-year commitment are sharing their experiences online through the recently redesigned Peace Corps Journals, founded by Peace Corps alumni. The online diary/therapy session aggregates the personal blogs, photos and videos of thousands of volunteers in nearly 90 countries. About 150 writings and 200 images are posted each day. Here are some excerpts, to be enjoyed from the comforts of your La-Z-Boy chair, by the air- conditioning unit and flush toilet.
From Namibia: “The garden is to help provide an improved healthy diet for the ladies and their families. With HIV attacking the immune system, the improved diet helps the system to be a little stronger. It is amazing to be working side by side with these ladies. Despite their status, many are upbeat and actually pretty funny with their humor.”
From Zambia: “Electricity has been very sketchy. It seems to go out at the most inopportune times. Like when we are about to put lasagna in the oven, sit down for dinner, watch a movie, or have a dance party. At which point someone calls the company and tells them that they are ruining our party.”
From Fiji: “It has been almost two weeks and man what a long couple of weeks it has been! I have had three yaqona (kava) ceremonies, many, many meals with dalo, some time at the Vidividi board, and lots of heat rash on my arms!”
From South Africa: “Just in case anyone was wondering if I had gone off the deep end after those last few (horribly depressing) posts, I’M STILL HERE!!!”
For more tales from the Peace Corps, visit http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com.
Peace Corps applications get a boost - sfgate.com
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/03/MNTV17VKHC.DTL
An interesting note in this article: "A new wrinkle to the flood of application requests is that 7 percent of them are coming from people 50 or older, up from the typical 4 percent, says the Washington, D.C., organization.
Even as some other government programs are scaled back because of the global financial crisis, the Peace Corps' budget is getting a boost from Obama. If Congress approves the proposed 9 percent increase in the agency's 2010 budget, the number of Peace Corps volunteers, now at 7,876, is expected to rise."
I guess we should all write congress to make sure this passes.