Jan 17, 2008 4:37 PM
If you’re a retiree and, like Rodney Dangerfield, aren’t getting any respect, it may be time to join the Peace Corps.
This is not the Peace Corps of JFK. This is the Peace Corps on its 45th anniversary, now actively recruiting older volunteers. The message from the hundreds of Americans in their 60s and 70s now serving around the world is: “People with grey hair are seen to be wise and are more respected.”
Peace Corps recruiters value retirees for their wealth of experience and maturity. Remember President Jimmy Carter’s mother Lillian, who joined in 1966 at the age of 68?
While only 5 percent of the corps’ 7,750 volunteers are older than 50, the agency hopes to double that in 2008. The corps not only pays a monthly living allowance but covers all medical costs and gives volunteers a $6,000 award at the end of service.
Want to know more? Call 1-800-424-8580 to talk to a recruiter and visit their Web site at www.peacecorps.gov.