International programs like the Peace Corps improve our local communities, too | Opinion

It is National Volunteer Week, an ideal time to be reminded that since the early 1960s most Peace Corps Volunteers who served all over the world have come home to also serve here. We stand for service!

I interviewed numerous community members in Lexington to get their perspectives on this valuable program and how it impacted their lives.

▪ “I obtained a Peace Corps Fellowship that allowed me to attend graduate school in environmental studies. I ended up working in public service for my entire career in Kentucky, and I am thankful for the start that Peace Corps provided.” Terry Anderson, Ghana 1965-67

▪ “I did two tours of Peace Corps. My service gave me the international experience to learn of the generosity of, goodwill, and appreciation of what America offers the world. I passed that on to the students I taught at the high school and university levels.” William Salazar, Guatemala 1972-73, Panama 2015-2016

▪ “Of the many gifts I brought home from the Philippines that shaped the next 50 years of my life, the one that is most useful right now is the way Filipinos share, care for and love each other. I served in the Philippines under a dictator. Yet Filipinos relied on loving kindness, generosity, and sheer commitment to live life joyously so they could transcend the indignities and circumscribed rights of martial law. I brought home from Naga City the certainty that intention and action build and sustain loving community even when things are dire, and that music and dance are part of what make that so.” Rona Roberts, Philippines 1973-75

▪ “We bring the experience of other nations and cultures back home and can help other Americans navigate an increasingly complex world, including assisting those from other parts of the world on their journey to becoming Americans. We possess the professional, cultural, and linguistic skills to lead or serve as resources for local non-profit and municipal organizations, including those dealing with refugees.” Dianne Bazell, Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), 1975-77

▪ For over 25 years, I worked with the University of Kentucky’s International Office where I brought the world to K-12 classrooms across central and eastern Kentucky, and I was Executive Director for Kentucky-Ecuador Partners of the Americas, a statewide organization bringing citizens of the partnership together to work on projects in agriculture, cultural exchange, education, emergency preparedness, special education and rehabilitation, and health care.” Kay Roberts, Ecuador 1982-84

▪ “Coming home after serving for two years in a different country offers an invaluable perspective on the US and the world. It opens one’s eyes to the profound suffering and poverty amongst some of the world’s peoples and gives the RPCV the heart for doing something to alleviate suffering, wherever it exists, even in the richest country in the world.” Jenifer Payne, Gabon 1990-1992

“The third goal of the Peace Corps became a lifestyle, since I met and married my new best friend, Sav, a Guinean guy I met in Guinea while serving in the Peace Corps. We created a multicultural family and integrated into Lexington so much that Sav became well known at his restaurant serving West African cuisine from 2008 to 2022.” Rachel Savane, Guinea 1990-1992

▪ “I volunteer and collaborate with refugee families as they build new lives in our community, most of whom are thriving as educators, managers, nurses, and entrepreneurs. I also organize groups to support local volunteer initiatives – from sorting books to build libraries mentoring youth, serving dinners to support families of sick children, to organizing health services for horse industry workers – bringing people together in service and shared purpose.” Craig Borie, Nicaragua 1995-97.

▪ “During my Peace Corps service in Indonesia, I would routinely encounter people who had never met an American. Often their opinions of Americans and our country did not represent reality, and I was able to offer a different perspective through this person-to-person diplomacy. Upon returning home, I have spoken with classrooms, organizations, and my church about my experience living in the world’s largest Muslim country.” Will Glasscock, Indonesia, 2012-2014

▪ “Having served as an English teacher mid-career in Indonesia, I assumed I would bring home knowledge of a different culture and religion and some new skills. While those things are true, what I value most was learning to be more patient, more kind, and the desire to always look for the shared humanity and the things I may have in common with someone who is different from me.” Amy Hille Glasscock, Indonesia, 2012-2014

Collected and edited by Angene Wilson, Liberia 1962-1964 in April 2025. Co-author of Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers, University Press of Kentucky, 2011, 2021.