Cynthia Turner will work as Parent and Community Educator in Namibia
Local woman joins the Peace Corps in Africa
by Jessica Scarpati
Cynthia Turner is shown with Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone before she left for tour with the Peace Corps.
After a layover in Holland, Cynthia Turner, the 30 year-old Town of Babylon Community Development Program Project Manager, was stationed in the Republic of Namibia, Africa where she will train for three months before beginning her mission to battle illiteracy. Turner left for Washington, D.C. to accept her two-year United States Peace Corps post May 15.
"The application process took a whole year," said her mother Claudia Turner. "She wrote to the Africa Peace Corps in D.C. and sent them all kinds of paperwork."
Her work in Namibia will include developing, implementing, and overseeing programs and services that educate primary aged children. She will also help coordinate events in the community through her position as a Parent and Community Educator.
Upon coming across material about the organization, she was instantly hooked on joining, according to her mother.
"At first I was a little wary of her going that far to help people because there’s a lot of people right here that need help too," said Turner, "but she told me it was God’s mission, so I couldn’t fight with that."
Coworker Connie Davis, Commissioner of the Town of Babylon Human Services, agreed. She added that Cynthia was "a spiritually based young woman who puts God at the head of her life.
"Cynthia is very concerned with helping others, and she has always wanted to make a difference," said Davis. "She always had a desire to go to Africa and do missionary work."
Cynthia’s devotion to "God’s mission" didn’t start with joining the Peace Corps; her leadership and volunteerism at activities through her church, The First Baptist Church of Wyandanch, led her to be so busy, her mother said she couldn’t keep track of everything her daughter was involved in.
"She was very active there," said Turner. "She was involved with a program that was designed to help people who are looking to buy homes in the area."
Lillie Ervin, a mentor of Cynthia’s, from her church, described Cynthia as well-liked within the parish.
"She was a sensitive individual who always had other people in mind," said Ervin. "She put other people before herself, and was basically a person who wanted to make things right to everyone. She strove for justice and equality."
Ervin echoed Davis’ comment that Cynthia "always had a dream to join the Peace Corps." She felt that Cynthia was a very family oriented person who loved the church, and her commitment helped Cynthia finalize her decision.
"I think the teaching she got from the church solidified her focus and confirmed what she felt," explained Ervin. "It showed her how to use her gift of helping others."
Community service for Turner also extended to her work with the United North Amityville Youth Organization (UNAYO), the North Amityville Community Economic Council (NACEC), and she was head of the Faith Baptist Church of Wyandanch Social Action Committee where she worked closely with pastor Rev. Michael Talbert.
"Joining the Peace Corps. is one of her dreams. She has always longed to do so, and has reached a place in her life where she can afford to do it now, spiritually and financially," said Talbert. "She has prepared herself spiritually to fulfill the call of God in her life, and she was able to the answer to the proverbial question of ‘what’s next?’ I think Cynthia has a fire, and as long as she yields it to God, it will burn strongly."
Cynthia’s most recent work before her departure was with the Town of Babylon, helping in to build a multigenerational senior citizen center in North Amityville. Insight, innovation, and experience from her previous position with the Town will help Cynthia in her mission, Davis explained. She believed Cynthia’s foresights held promise due to her successful work as Project Director, making impacts in Wyandanch and North Amityville most notably. "I think Cynthia is also a person who loves all people and is very concerned about her people as well," said Davis. "She feels it’s something she can do to make a difference in the lives of children, women, and families. She wants to be a help to humankind."
