Peace Corps Volunteers Still Kickin' It

Were you one of those noble soldiers who left comfort stateside in the 60's, 70's, or 80's to save the world as a member of the Peace Corp? Even if you weren't, you are likely to remember the romantic draw.

If you are priviledged enough to know any alums, you've heard first-hand their stories of transformation and seen how that experience shaped the next stages of their lives. If not, you might want to check out a new, weekly series of podcasts from Social Edge, in which former Peace Corps volunteers describe their new lives as social entrepreneurs.

I just listened to a wonderfully concise, nine-minute interview with Pat Christen, who served in Kenya from 1982-1985. She now heads HopeLab, which was established by Pam Omidyar, to test solutions for helping kids deal with chronic illness. Its first innovation, which Pat describes in the interview, is a video game called Re-Mission, that helps kids with cancer "improve their treatment adherence, self efficacy, and sense of control in fighting the disease."

Although it fell on tough times, the Peace Corp is like a pebble thrown into a pond. JFK is no doubt peering down and feeling proud...

Susan Herr