Couple in 50s find Peace Corps rewarding

Bill Glauber

Jun. 24, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It was the fall of 2004 when Dave and Marti Fine received a call from their college-age daughter. She needed help filling out an online application for the Peace Corps.

The Fines, then in their early 50s, logged on to the Web site and began reading about the organization that was created in their childhood, back in 1961, when John F. Kennedy was in the White House.

"Hmmm," Marti Fine said, recalling her reaction to what she read. "Maybe this would work for us."

Their daughter ended up a Fulbright Scholar. The Fines ended up in the Peace Corps.

The Fines, who returned to the Milwaukee area in August, will relate their Peace Corps experience during a presentation Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library East, 1910 E. North Ave.

The Peace Corps is still looking for excellent candidates to volunteer more than two years of their time to help America serve the world. They don't just need bright-eyed kids just out of college -- they're also looking to recruit those 50 and older.

In many ways, the Fines represent the new wave of Peace Corps volunteers, people who bring a life's worth of experiences and skills to some of the most far-flung places on the planet.

About 5% of the Peace Corps' 7,876 volunteers are 50 and over. Around one in three of the 50-plus volunteers serves as an educator and one in four works in the business sector in the Peace Corps. Older volunteers don't just bring more experience -- they often receive respect quickly when posted in foreign countries.

Perhaps the most famous older volunteer in the agency's history was Lillian Carter, mother of former President Jimmy Carter. She was in her 60s when she served in India as a health volunteer from 1966 to 1968.

The oldest current volunteer is Muriel Johnston, 84, who serves in Morocco working in hygiene and disease control.

Peace Corps recruiter Elizabeth Ategou said the organization seeks "flexibility and enthusiasm" from applicants.

"We're looking for people motivated to serve overseas for 27 months in condition of hardship," she said. "Of course, there are a wide range of posts, some that are less hardship than others. The idea is we're taking well-trained men and women from the United States and helping people in countries for what they themselves have asked for."

Special skills sought

Host countries routinely seek people with skills in education, health, business development, information technology, the environment and agriculture.

But what does it take to make the grade as an older volunteer in the Peace Corps?

The Fines provide some answers.

"As an older volunteer, you need to plan," Dave Fine said. "You need to be in a financially good position to be a Peace Corps volunteer."

It took the Fines 18 months from their initial application to land a spot working for a non-governmental organization in Polokwane, capital of South Africa's northernmost province.

They sold their 2,500-square-foot home in Fox Point and moved into a 400-square-foot home in South Africa.

They said their living conditions weren't all that difficult. Sure, they were cramped and had to wash dishes in a bathtub, but they did have electricity and cold-running water and if they wanted, they could take a bus to a nearby mall that was just like being in the United States.

Dave Fine, a business executive, and Marti Fine, a personal trainer, helped with back office work for an organization that helped impaired adults and street kids.

In addition, Marti Fine helped develop an after-school program for orphans, while Dave Fine worked with the city's mayor to improve bicycle commuting.

"It's not your job that you do here that translates to the Peace Corps; it's your life experience," Marti Fine said.

Dave Fine said, "It's unlikely that in the Peace Corps that you're going to necessarily change something in a dramatic way. Recognize that your contribution will be in something that you create."

The key, they said, is to be a good ambassador for the United States.

"Be flexible and be patient," Marti Fine said. "Use your time there to find something you want to do to make a change."

Newstex ID: 35966909