For Ronald Tschetter, who took over as the Peace Corps' director two weeks ago after a long career in the financial industry, recruiting retirees is a priority



The traditional 20-something who has a college degree is still the average Peace Corps volunteer. Only 6 percent of volunteers are older than 50. But Tschetter is interested in a new market: baby boomers. There are 78 million of them, and they're retiring soon. They're going to be looking for things to do, he said. Tschetter, a health volunteer with his wife in India from 1966 to 1968, said retirees could bring sustainable expertise to the organization. They have decades of experience in various fields: agriculture, business, education, energy and health.

For Ronald Tschetter, who took over as the Peace Corps' director two weeks ago after a long career in the financial industry, recruiting retirees is a priority

Peace Corps looks to retirees for new vitality, expertise

By Brady Averill

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

WASHINGTON - Thirty years after they volunteered for the Peace Corps, Vermont residents Kenneth and June Nicholson signed up again in 2001 and spent the first years of their retirement teaching in Bulgaria.

Long retired at 77, Woodbury, Minn., resident Charles Harkness joined the Peace Corps partly on a challenge from his daughter. He went to Kyrgyzstan to teach.

For Ronald Tschetter, who took over as the Peace Corps' director two weeks ago after a long career in the financial industry, recruiting retirees such as the Nicholsons and Harkness is a priority.

"It's a resource that if tapped could just bring tremendous value to these countries," he said.

As Tschetter takes the reins of an organization that has a $318.8 million budget, he's looking at expanding the Peace Corps to more countries and keeping volunteers' safety a top priority. Currently the Peace Corps serves in 75 countries, and in fiscal year 2005 it had 7,810 volunteers. More than 182,000 people have flowed through the organization since it got its start in 1961.

The traditional 20-something who has a college degree is still the average Peace Corps volunteer. Only 6 percent of volunteers are older than 50. But Tschetter is interested in a new market: baby boomers. There are 78 million of them, and they're retiring soon. They're going to be looking for things to do, he said.

Tschetter, a health volunteer with his wife in India from 1966 to 1968, said retirees could bring sustainable expertise to the organization. They have decades of experience in various fields: agriculture, business, education, energy and health.

They also bring diversity.

Jody Olsen, the deputy director of the Peace Corps, said it was important for its volunteers to reflect the diversity of people living in the United States and that getting baby boomers to join was one way to do that.

"The host family sees that volunteer as a way about thinking about America," she said.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who's the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, has echoed that sentiment.

"We have a lot of baby boomers coming back to the Peace Corps," he said. "I hope (Tschetter) continues to diversify the volunteer base."

Saying they want baby boomers is simpler than finding them. Tschetter said recruiting young volunteers was easy: Go to college campuses. The baby boomer market isn't as definable, he said.

Later this month, Olsen will give four presentations at the AARP convention in Anaheim, Calif. She also hopes that young volunteers can get their parents interested in serving.

In Nancy O'Connell's case, she was already familiar with the Peace Corps because her daughter had volunteered in the 1980s in Tanzania. At 68, Nancy O'Connell joined the Peace Corps after 11 years of being a retired pharmacist, leaving Whispering Pines, N.C., in 2003 to serve in Suriname in South America.

"I had a really nice life, but something was missing," she said. "I knew I needed something more to my life than just retirement."

Jack Bardon, who joined the Peace Corps at 70 in 2003 with his wife, Jane, said the Peace Corps could do more to recruit retired people. "The word is not getting out like it could," he said. The Bardons, who live in St. Paul, Minn., have given presentations to people who are about to retire or have retired.

Tschetter hopes that people will consider post-retirement volunteering as new jobs.

Dropping everything at 55 to volunteer isn't the same as doing it at 25, however. There are different challenges.

For example, O'Connell said that learning a second language at her age was difficult. She spent six hours a day for seven weeks learning Dutch. The Nicholsons learned Bulgarian; Harkness tried Russian. The Bardons learned Turkmen, and by the end of their two-year stint in Turkmenistan, they'd put together a medical dictionary in Turkmen, Russian and English, which is distributed free in the country.

Older volunteers often leave behind homes they own. O'Connell and the Nicholsons didn't sell and say goodbye, though. They rented their houses instead.

Health can deter older prospects. Every applicant undergoes medical and dental examinations. A health assessment is made before they proceed.

"We just happened to be very healthy, but the Peace Corps was very willing to work with most problems that people have," Jack Bardon said.

Still, having decades on 20-somethings has its advantages.

Those interviewed said they were respected because of their age. With their knowledge, maturity and years of experience, some said they thought they were able to accomplish more. Jack Bardon said he and his wife were taken more seriously.

And thanks to advances in health, retirees seem younger and are more vigorous now, Tschetter pointed out.

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© 2006, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

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September 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories John Coyne writes: The Lion in the Garden 12 Sep John McCain says: We passed up an opportunity after 911 12 Sep Jody Olsen speaks at Headquarters about 911 11 Sep Bill Moyers Returns to Investigative Reporting 8 Sep Boating Accident kills two PCVs in Mali 7 Sep Director Vasquez bids Farewell to Washington 7 Sep James Rupert writes: Pact reached with pro-Taliban forces 6 Sep Carol Bellamy to speak at Global Risk Conference 5 Sep New trial ordered for Jerry Mark in murder case 2 Sep Ken Hill to step down as NPCA Chairman 1 Sep Clintons, Gearans dine at resort 1 Sep 'Chris Matthews' Turns 5 31 Aug Taylor Hackford thinks Chuck Berry is a pain in the ass 31 Aug John Kefalas alleges dirty tactics in house race 30 Aug DRI receives Charity Navigator's highest ratings 29 Aug Kris Holloway writes "Monique and the Mango Rains'' 28 Aug Richard Celeste writes: Watch Out For Voting Day Bugs 28 Aug Donna Shalala boosted UM's image 27 Aug Leonard Robinson devoted his life to the underserved 24 Aug Phil Hardberger will run for re-election in 2007 24 Aug Snakes on the Plain - the black mamba 23 Aug Eunice Kennedy Shriver still going strong 20 Aug

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Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

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Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

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Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

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PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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