John Coyne – Peace Corps Worldwide

SOFTBALL, SNAKES, SAUSAGE FLIES AND RICE | Philip Fretz (Sierra Leone)

Jun 02 2023

Softball, Snakes, Sausage Flies and Rice: Peace Corps Experience in 1960s Sierra Leone by Philip Fretz (Sierra Leone 1962-64) Self Published January 2014 148 pages $0 (Kindle); $5.99 (Paperback) Just a few months out of student life on the rolling green lawns of Haverford College, Philip Fretz was living in a small, remote West African city amid insect invasions, deadly snakes and coups. It was the tumultuous 1960s, in both the United States and Africa, and he had become an early recruit to the Peace Corps, founded in 1961. He was the first volunteer to be sent to teach English at the Kenema Technical Institute in Sierra Leone, a former British colony that had been left in stark poverty and underdevelopment when colonialism ended. Half a century later, he began to pore through the diaries he had kept, sporadically, during those two years in Kenema. When his father died in . . .

Malawi RPCV Christine Farber Passed Away in May

Jun 02 2023

Christine C. (Milliken) Farber, 98, of Hyannis, MA, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2023 surrounded by her family. She was predeceased by her daughter Diane Carr, and is survived by her daughter, Gale Carr of Hyannis MA, grandchildren Niisa (Rick) Morton of Falmouth MA, Catherine (Donald) Wygal of Sherman Oaks CA, Christian Tyler (Robin) Olander of Portsmouth RI, and Matthew Busek of Las Vegas NV, her great grandchildren Alexia and Christian Tucker Morton, and many nieces and nephews. Christine graduated from Bourne High School in 1942 and from Sargent College, Boston University in 1946 where she was crowned Miss Sargenta. In 1955 she opened and headed the Cape Cod Hospital Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department for 32 years. Upon her retirement in 1987, Senator Edward M. Kennedy said “For many of us who live here on Cape Cod, Christine has been THE Cape Cod Hospital. Christine was always there, . . .

The Peace Corps experience changed lives (Burkina Faso)

Jun 01 2023

Peace Corps experience changed lives Scooter MacMillan, Editor MAY 25, 2023They came from all over the United States and were going to live in a foreign country for two years where most of them didn’t speak any of its languages. They were enthusiastic and idealistic. They were in their early 20s and had recently graduated, lots from Ivy League Schools. Some of them had teaching, clerical or administrative work experience. A few had done manual labor. In their bios for the Peace Corps, lots of them said they liked tennis and skiing. It wasn’t in their bios, but it goes without saying: They all were going to change the world. Maybe they did. It’s interesting to ruminate on how the world might be different if there had never been a Peace Corps. Jim and Susan Hyde of Charlotte were part of a group of 40 Peace Corps volunteers who were . . .

KEEPER OF THE STARS by Don Dirnberger (West Indies)

May 31 2023

Keeper of the Stars is the first volume of poems from the series Making My Dreams Reality by Donald Drinberger. The words began before his trip to El Salvador but continued and finished while doing a Global Village Build with Habitat for Humanity International and HFH El Salvador. The members of the team, the people of the country of El Salvador, the families who wanted to construct their new homes with the understanding that a home is the starting point of a better life and a better world, to them and for them. In these words, these poems may you also share time with fellow human beings in changing this world for the betterment of all, one home at a time. The author, Donald Dirnberger (West Indies 1977-79), lives now on the Grey Wolf Resort and Ranch near Victor, Colorado where he enjoys gardening, raising animals, along with writing. . . .

Peace Corps ranks UC Berkeley as No. 1 volunteer-producing university

May 30 2023

The Peace Corps ranks UC Berkeley as No. 1 volunteer-producing university With more than 3,750 alumni volunteers from UC Berkeley, the Peace Corps recognized UC Berkeley as the university that sent the most volunteers over the last two decades. The Peace Corps identified UC Berkeley as its top volunteer-producing university over the past 20 years, with a total of 3,763 alumni volunteers. Kerry Carmichael (Ecuador 1992-94), senior recruiter and UC Berkeley representative for the Peace Corps, was unsurprised by this news, noting campus’ long-standing relationship with the organization. Given the Peace Corps’ emphasis on serving communities, Carmichael also pointed to campus’ history of social justice activism as an important factor in its involvement. “UC Berkeley students have, through their education and their individual experience, a perspective of the world that’s bigger than just their campus,” Carmichael said. “Also ingrained in students at UC Berkeley is that ethic of service, volunteering . . .

“On Essential Islands” by Nathan Fitch (Micronesia)

May 30 2023

In 2018, at the invitation of the college there, I traveled to the Federated States of Micronesia (“FSM”) to screen a documentary that I had made called Island Soldier. The film explores the service of Micronesian citizens in the United States armed services during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Peace Corps (1967–2018) As I arrived in the islands, bleary from my long flight (more than twenty hours of travel with layovers), the United States Peace Corps program was about to end after 60 years of continuous operation. The program has long been a visible symbol of the relationship between independent countries in the Western Pacific. A few days after I arrived, I spoke to Peace Corps Volunteer Sorcha Vaughan as she was preparing a farewell speech that she would be delivering to the state legislature and governor to close out the program on the island of Kosrae. Sorcha said, . . .

Indiana University — Bloomington | An historically top producing PCV school

May 27 2023

IU Bloomington was the training site for Thailand V. Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Bob Gurevich (Thailand 1963-65) Since 2003, Indiana University Bloomington has produced the 12th largest number of Peace Corps volunteers among the agency’s list of historically top volunteer-producing colleges and universities. IU ranks sixth in the Big Ten in terms of alumni who are volunteering around the world through the Peace Corps. • Twenty-five applicants from IU Bloomington are serving or will serve abroad in 2023. Since the agency’s founding in 1961, more than 1,762 IU alumni have served abroad as Peace Corps volunteers. “Demand for Peace Corps volunteers is high given setbacks in development progress following the COVID-19 pandemic,” Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn said. “Peace Corps service is the beginning of a lifetime of global connection and purpose for those bold enough to accept the invitation.” While IU Bloomington has had a tradition of . . .

What Kimberly Branam (Burkina Faso) wants for Portland

May 26 2023

May 25, 2023 Written by Britany Robinson It often seems the longer a person has lived in Portland, the more cynical they become about the city’s evolving character and challenges. Kimberly Branam (Burkina Faso 2002-05) is a third-generation Portlander — she grew up in Northeast Portland’s Irvington neighborhood, left for 10 years and has been back for 16 — but she leans against that curve, with grounded optimism about her hometown. As the executive director of Prosper Portland, it’s part of Branam’s job to be optimistic. Prosper Portland, formerly the Portland Development Commission, is the city’s economic and urban development agency. With a “focus on building an equitable economy by carrying out a comprehensive range of economic development programs,” Prosper Portland’s success in large part depends on growth: Its stated priorities include growing family-wage jobs, creating vibrant neighborhoods and communities, and advancing opportunities for prosperity. With growth comes growing pains. Portland . . .

Obituary | Patricia Wand (Colombia)

May 26 2023

Born in 1942 to Ignatius Bernard Wand and Alice Ruth Suhr Wand, Patricia (Pat) was the third child of eight siblings. Raised on a farm in the hills of the Columbia River Gorge between Troutdale and Corbett, OR, she attended Corbett Grade School and was a member of the first graduating class and student body president of Marycrest High School in Portland, OR. In childhood, Pat was a ten year 4H club member in clothing, sewing, and style revue. Her first project was sewing a pair of pajamas at age nine. As a teenager she won a trip to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. Upon high school graduation, she accepted an Honors Scholarship to Seattle University, and after obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, immediately joined the second cohort of Peace Corp volunteers sent to Colombia, South America. While there, among many other accomplishments, she and other volunteers were . . .

Peace Corps Namibia Swearing-in Ceremony For Response PCVs

May 25 2023

Ambassador Randy Berry Remarks Peace Corps Response Swearing-In Ceremony Good morning! It is a great pleasure and honor to welcome you to this special ceremony commemorating the arrival of three dedicated Peace Corps Response Volunteers — the first of many as Peace Corps prepares to bring in additional groups of Volunteers to serve throughout Namibia. Peace Corps makes a significant contribution to building international understanding, peace, and friendship by its unique people-to-people connections. To our soon-to-be Response Volunteers, Alan Marks, Lauren Pinkerton, and Robert Kankelborg, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Namibia. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to Volunteering with the Peace Corps. In April, U.S. President Joseph Biden celebrated national Volunteer week, reflecting on the self-less spirit of Volunteers, he said, ”Volunteering brings people together, uniting us around our common belief in the dignity and equality of every person and giving us . . .

Bob Vila (Panama) remembers “This Old House“

May 24 2023

Bob Vila (Panama 1969-70) The project manager turned television host built home renovation entertainment. by KAREN HERMAN There was a time before home improvement shows existed, but a likeable project manager named Bob Vila changed that. After Vila restored his own Boston home and was asked to host a local television show to explain the process, the public’s interest in home renovation was unleashed and a new category of entertainment was born. For nearly thirty years Vila hosted multiple shows, starting with This Old House on PBS, then moving on to Bob Vila’s Home Again, Bob Vila and Restore America with Bob Vila. In the nineties, Vila appeared as a guest on the ABC comedy Home Improvement, acting along Tim Allen as a TV handyman. Today Vila’s videos are popular on YouTube and can also be seen at his website, BobVila.com. Vila was awarded a Daytime Emmy lifetime achievement award in 2022, and he’s also the author . . .

THE WAR CAME TO US by Christopher Miller (Ukraine)

May 23 2023

The War Came to Us by Christopher Miller (Ukraine 2010-12) Bloomsbury Continuum Publisher 400 pages July 2023 $9.99 (Kindle) $28.00 (Hardcover) pre-order, audiobook • A breathtaking exploration of Ukraine’s past, present, and future, and a heartbreaking account of the war against Russia, written by the leading journalist of the conflict, former PCV Christopher Miller (Ukraine 2010-12). When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine just before dawn on 24 February 2022, it marked his latest and most overt attempt to brutally conquer the country, and reshaped the world order. Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and the foremost journalist covering the country, was there on the ground when the first Russian missiles struck and troops stormed over the border. But the seeds of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the West were sown more than a decade earlier. This is the definitive, inside story of its . . .

Words of Wisdom from Wise Older Women | Bonnie Lee Black (Gabon)

May 22 2023

The WOW Factor: Words of Wisdom from Wise Older Women Martha is a Marvel Bonnie Lee Black (Gabon 1996-98) May 22, 2023 Martha Stewart is a marvel, don’t you agree? She’s a quintessential American success story, and Americans love success stories more than any other kind. From her modest beginnings as the second of six children in a working-class Polish-Catholic family in Nutley, New Jersey, Martha has risen to great heights, succeeding on every rung of her personal ladder, and climbing back up when she’s fallen off. She’s been a fashion model, a Wall Street stockbroker, an entrepreneur par excellence known worldwide as “the empress of domesticity,” a prison inmate, and now, at age eight-one no less featured in a bathing suit on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s just-published swimsuit issue. It takes your breath away. When I was a caterer in Manhattan from ’86 to ‘96, Martha was the caterer other . . .

Mary-Joan Gerson (Nigeria) | Children’s Author

May 22 2023

Mary-Joan Gerson, Ph.D., ABPP, is an Adjunct Clinical Professor, Supervisor and has served as the Director of the Advanced Specialization in Couple and Family Therapy at the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Active in Division 39 of the APA, Dr. Gerson is the Founding President of Section VIII, Couples and Family Therapy, as well as Founding Co-Chair of the Committee on Psychoanalysis and Health, and the Committee on Psychoanalysis and Community. She is the author of many journal articles and book chapters including a full-length book, The Embedded Self: An Integrative Psychodynamic and Systemic Perspective on Couples and Family Therapy (second edition. 2009); Routledge. She has served in Nigeria (1965-67) in the Peace Corps, had a Fulbright Fellowship in Namibia, and has taught all over the world, as well as published five award-winning cross-cultural books for children: People of Corn: A Mayan Story Why The Sky Is . . .

Colorado State U celebrates Peace Corps Volunteers roots . . .

May 19 2023

. . . with new tribute garden as alumni continue to serve KUNC | By Stephanie Daniel Published May 18, 2123 In March, Mya Hunter sat in a hotel room in Miami. She had just finished a long day of training for the Peace Corps. The next morning, the recent Colorado State University graduate flew to Jamaica to begin her work as an agricultural volunteer with small-scale farmers and fulfill a desire she has had since she was a young girl. “I am so excited,” she said. “I think if you asked me this like 48 hours ago, I would be super, super nervous.” The 22-year-old Korean Hawaiian was born and raised on Oahu where her mother’s family has lived, along with other islands, for generations. She said the natural resources there have shaped every part of her life and made her decision to join and work with the Peace Corps . . .

Author - John Coyne