J.D. McCrary is an environmental volunteer in Iminourag, Morocco



J.D. McCrary is an environmental volunteer in Iminourag, Morocco

Life Calling
McCrary finds home in Peace Corps

By Michelle Groover
Georgia Southern Magazine
Spring 2005

The slogan for the Peace Corps is "Life is calling. How far will you go?"

J.D. McCrary answered that call. "I joined the Peace Corps for several reasons, but mainly to seek a more rewarding path in life," he said.

McCrary ('95) is an environmental volunteer in Iminourag, Morocco, in northwestern Africa. "It is a village of approximately 350 people that are smallscale farming and goat and sheep herding families," he said. As an environmental volunteer he is working with the local Eau et Foret (Water and Forest) division of the Moroccan government to plan and implement a sustainable development approach for the area.

"The region I live in has been highlighted as a site of environmental and ecological importance, the equivalent of a national monument," McCrary said. "It is the precursor to a National Park in the United States Interior System. The project is funded by the World Bank, and I am largely responsible for doing my best to work with the local population in a variety of development projects."

The village has no electricity or phone service. "The closest town is Tilouguite, which is a two-hour walk. It has the post office, electricity, phone and the weekly market. I travel there every few weeks to check my mail and go to the market," he said. "The nearest Internet café is close to a full day's travel away in Beni Mellal."

Despite living without what most consider everyday conveniences, McCrary enjoys what he is doing. "I have enjoyed the international travel and living I have done so far," he said.

In his spare time he listens to music on his battery-operated CD player and reads. "I also do a great deal of hiking, and in the summer I swim in the river with the local children," he added.

Georgia Southern also had a big impact on him. "To this day I can honestly say if I had to do it all over again, I cannot imagine choosing another school besides Georgia Southern. I loved my time at Georgia Southern," McCrary said. "As I am sure most do, I look back upon my years at Southern as some of the best of my life."

When this story was posted in April 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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April 17, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: A Peace Corps Writer Discovery 17 Apr Chris Van Hollen supports Peace Corps budget 17 Apr Joseph Goldstein founded Forest Refuge 17 Apr Judge Flemming Norcott wins community service award 16 Apr Wangari Maathai meets with Kenya Country Director 15 Apr Simon James says corps' days numbered in Uzbekistan 15 Apr Peace Corps not heard anything about Uzbekistan 15 Apr Novak says Chris Dodd attacking anti-Castro officials 14 Apr Taylor Hackford not pleased with content editing 14 Apr Activist W. Retta Gilliam dies in DC 13 Apr Alberto Ibargüen studying newspaper options 13 Apr Christopher Hill says Korea nuclear talks can work 12 Apr DNA undercuts verdict against Jerry Marks 11 Apr Tom Bissell discusses recent events in Kyrgyzstan 11 Apr Chris Gobrecht named Basketball Coach at Yale 11 Apr Glenn Ivers does "Splash for Cash" in icy waters 11 Apr Chris Shays says Delay should step down 10 Apr

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April 17, 2005: Special RPCV Events RPCV Kent Island Family Weekend on May 6 - 8 Joseph Opala speaks in Rhode Island on April 19 South Carolina RPCVs to see off PCVs on April 18 Terry Deshler speaks in Wyoming on April 18 Cameroon RPCVs selling special Pagne Bush proclaims National Volunteer Week RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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RPCVs and Friends remember Pope John Paul II Tony Hall found the pope to be courageous and capable of forgiving the man who shot him in 1981, Mark Gearan said the pope was as dynamic in person as he appears on television, Maria Shriver said he was a beacon of virtue, strength and goodness, and an RPCV who met the pope while serving in the Solomon Islands said he possessed the holiness of a man filled with a deep love and concern for humanity. Leave your thoughts here.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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