Jonah Haase to serve as Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama



"The duty of all Americans is to step out of their comfort zones and strive to be better, whether this is through military service, civil service, or local volunteering. Joining the Peace Corps is my method of fulfilling this duty," said Haase.

Jonah Haase to serve as Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama

BD man joins Peace Corps in Panama

Jonah Haase, 31, of Beaver Dam, has been accepted into the Peace Corps.

Haase left for Panama on Wednesday to begin pre-service training as a sustainable agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer. Upon graduation from Volunteer training in July, Haase will be training indigenous farmers in the jungle to use sustainable farming methods and develop international markets for their crops.

Haase is the son of Steve and Marcia Haase, and a graduate of Beaver Dam High School. He then attended the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he earned a bachelor's in economics and Spanish, graduating in 2008. Haase previously worked in Ecuador as the operations manager of the capital's emergency response center. He also taught English to the natives in Ecuador and helped manage a homeless shelter for the indigenous poor.

"The duty of all Americans is to step out of their comfort zones and strive to be better, whether this is through military service, civil service, or local volunteering. Joining the Peace Corps is my method of fulfilling this duty," said Haase.

During the first three months of his service, Haase will live with a host family in Panama to become fully immersed in the country's language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist his community, Haase will serve for two years in Panama, living in a manner similar to people in his host country.

Haase joins the 255 Wisconsin residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 5,345 Wisconsin residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: April, 2009; Peace Corps Panama; Directory of Panama RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Panama RPCVs

When this story was posted in May 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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

---

April 19, 2009: Obama's Public Diplomacy Obama engages Students in Roundtable in Turkey 7 Apr To Rebuild US-Muslim Relations Obama Is Not Enough 26 Mar PC Model in Mexico sends Older Specialized PCVs 19 Apr Peace Corps Needs Top-Down Re-Examination 19 Apr Peace Corps Returns To Rwanda with 32 PCVs 17 Apr Read from "First Comes Love Then Comes Malaria" 16 Apr Does Mike Honda want to head Peace Corps? 15 Apr Paul Theroux promotes Responsible Tourism 3 Apr Vice President Biden Meets PCVs In Costa Rica 1 Apr Vote on Christopher R. Hill delayed by opponents 1 Apr Joseph Acaba makes First Spacewalk 31 Mar Petri Vindicated for Advocacy of Direct Loans to Students 30 Mar Mateo Paneitz devotes life to helping poor in Guatemala 29 Mar Read from "The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen" 16 Apr Drew Marinelli makes 6000-mile bicycle trip across US 28 Mar Senate votes to triple AmeriCorps' ranks 27 Mar Four Cycling RPCVs have been friends for 45 years 25 Mar Denice Traina Hopes Hives will Help Harrisburg 24 Mar "Expand the Band" brings Instruments to South Africa 24 Mar Maria Shriver testifies on her Father's Alzheimer's 24 Mar Charles R. Larson donates African collection to UT 23 Mar Read more stories from March and April 2009.

---

PCOL's Candidate for Peace Corps Director Honduras RPCV Jon Carson, 33, presided over thousands of workers as national field director for the Obama campaign and said the biggest challenge -- and surprise -- was the volume of volunteer help, including more than 15,000 "super volunteers," who were a big part of what made Obama's campaign so successful. PCOL endorses Jon Carson as the man who can revitalize the Peace Corps, bring it into the internet age, and meet Obama's goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.

---

Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

Read the stories and leave your comments.