2007.08.01: August 1, 2007: Headlines: COS - Romania: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News: Four Nebraskans, Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries, serve as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Romania: Peace Corps Romania : Peace Corps Romania: Newest Stories: 2007.08.01: August 1, 2007: Headlines: COS - Romania: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News: Four Nebraskans, Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries, serve as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-40-208.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.40.208) on Friday, November 30, 2007 - 7:45 am: Edit Post

Four Nebraskans, Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries, serve as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

Four Nebraskans, Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries, serve as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

Morris, who currently works for a nonprofit organization in Romania, got involved with the Peace Corps after retirement. A friend and former corps volunteer in Rwanda gave Morris a hard time about being retired. "He suggested that I contact the Peace Corps," Morris said. "I did contact them and haven't regretted it." Morris keeps up with Omaha news through e-mails and the Internet, he said.

Four Nebraskans, Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries, serve as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Romania

A rarity: Three Omahans serve in Romania with Peace Corps

BY JAIME POTTHAST
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Caption: This photo of the four Nebraskans serving in the Peace Corps was taken in Ploiesti, Romania, in July 2006. They are clockwise from top left: Dave Donaldson, Jon Lentz, Scott Morris and Tim Jeffries.

Scott Morris is not a typical Peace Corps volunteer.

The 55-year-old retired banker from Omaha is well above the average age of those who sign up, 27.

But even more unusual: Morris trained with two other Omahans and one other Nebraskan, all of whom are serving in Romania.

As of Sept. 2006, Nebraska had 67 active Peace Corps volunteers. Since 1961, a total of 1,147 Nebraskans have signed on for the corps, which was established in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship.

Coincidentally, Morris, fellow Omahans Tim Jeffries,25, and Dave Donaldson,25, and Grand Island's Jon Lentz, 25, all signed up around the same time and all started their training in May 2006. Because all four ended up in the same group, they all went to the same place. They will be in Romania until July 2008.

Where the Peace Corps sends each volunteer often depends on what program they choose and when they can leave, said Jill Thiare, a spokeswoman at the Peace Corps regional office in Denver.

It is rare that these men are all together, Thiare said.

"It's a unique circumstance," she said. "It doesn't happen often."

Morris, who currently works for a nonprofit organization in Romania, got involved with the Peace Corps after retirement.

A friend and former corps volunteer in Rwanda gave Morris a hard time about being retired.

"He suggested that I contact the Peace Corps," Morris said. "I did contact them and haven't regretted it."

Morris keeps up with Omaha news through e-mails and the Internet, he said. He finds it interesting that four Nebraska volunteers ended up so close together.

Jeffries and Lentz both teach English as a foreign language, while Donaldson works for a Romanian affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.

Since arriving in Romania a little more than two years ago, the four have only all been together once, last December for a training event. They will see each other again later this month for more training.

From time to time, they will run into each other randomly or schedule a get-together.

Morris and Donaldson met up a few weeks ago on vacation in Croatia, and Donaldson said they often talk about mutual acquaintances and what's going on in Omaha.

Jeffries and Donaldson have actually known each other since grade school. The two meet about once every two months and often discuss restaurants and bars they miss back home, Jeffries said.

"It has helped a lot having a friend of 10 years here with me," he said.

Once they get back to Nebraska, all four men hope to stay in touch.

"The level of friendships you develop with people in the Peace Corps is unrivaled," Donaldson said.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2007; Peace Corps Romania; Directory of Romania RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Romania RPCVs; Nebraska





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Story Source: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News

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