THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270286
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL SIZEMORE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 150 lines
Clay Drees' parents ``were absolutely horror-stricken'' when, as a young college graduate in the 1970s, he announced he was joining the Peace Corps and traveling to the former British colony of Sierra Leone in west Africa.
``My father looked up Sierra Leone in the encyclopedia, and he read in there that they called it `the white man's grave,' '' said Drees, 40, now a history professor at Virginia Wesleyan College. ``When the British arrived, the malaria problem was so bad, the governors of Sierra Leone were dying like flies.''
Drees went to Africa. And did, in fact, come down with malaria - several times. But he has no regrets.
``I think there was a certain sense of altruism among a lot of us young folks then,'' he said. ``We wanted to save the world.''
The Peace Corps, begun by the Kennedy administration in 1961, was one of the government's tiniest agencies with one of the biggest missions imaginable: promoting world peace.
This week, as it celebrates its 35th anniversary, the Peace Corps wants to remind America that it's still very much alive, thank you - but its profile has changed.
Budget cutbacks have reduced its force to 7,000 volunteers, down from a peak of 15,000 in 1966.
Today, the typical Peace Corps volunteer is less likely to look like Clay Drees did in 1977: a middle-class white person fresh out of college. The average volunteer today is 29, seven years older than in 1961. More than 500 are over 50.
The corps is also trying to recruit minorities. As part of that effort, Deputy Director Charles R. Baquet III and recruiter Tasha Boone were in Norfolk last week spreading the word at Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities.
``President Clinton has charged his administration, the various agencies, to work as hard as they can to make sure that the work force reflects the ethnic diversity of this country, and the Peace Corps is trying to do that,'' Baquet said.
``We're also reacting to the president's concern that volunteerism in the United States is on the wane.''
Baquet, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s before joining the U.S. Foreign Service, didn't sugarcoat the sacrifices of Peace Corps service during remarks to a roomful of Norfolk State students. But he talked about benefits, too.
``We offer you the princely salary of about $250 a month, on average,'' he told the students. ``Now, for some people, $250 a month is walking-around change.
``But we usually assign our volunteers to countries where the per capita income per year is $200. So at $250 a month, you're already the fat cat of the village.
``The other thing is, we tend to assign you to a village in a remote place where there's nothing to buy. So that $250 stays in the bank.''
Among other inducements, the government pays volunteers' health insurance, housing and travel expenses and a $5,000 ``readjustment allowance'' at the end of their two years of service.
Baquet also promoted foreign language skills, continuing education and a portfolio of accomplishments that can be useful when applying for a job or graduate school.
Reactions from students were generally positive.
``I had seen TV commercials about the Peace Corps and thought it looked interesting,'' said Eric Sellers, a junior psychology major at Old Dominion. ``It's an opportunity to go abroad, to learn, to help somebody else. Helping people is my thing.''
Was he put off by the low pay?
``I live my life looking for happiness, and that's not always found in money,'' Sellers said. ``It's found in achieving my goals and seeing other people smile.''
Bruce Hunter, a senior English/liberal arts major at Norfolk State, took a pragmatic outlook. ``I think it's an excellent opportunity to gain some international experience,'' he said. ``It could make you a little more competitive in corporate America. . . . I'm interested in law school, and a lot of times they look at students who are interested in things other than just making money.''
Mark Smith, a junior English/secondary education major at Norfolk State, has discussed Peace Corps service with his wife, who teaches at Norview High School in Norfolk. One complication: They have a 1 1/2-year-old daughter. ``I would like to take her with us,'' he said. Baquet told him it might be possible.
But the Peace Corps isn't for everyone. Ronzar Miller, a junior business major at Norfolk State, said he couldn't see it fitting into his life plan.
``A six-figure income is the whole purpose of college,'' he said. ``But with this, you've got to be willing to serve. It's based on where your heart is. Me, I'm about money.''
Drees, the Virginia Wesleyan professor, has organized a group of about 50 former Peace Corps volunteers in Hampton Roads. He stages a recruiting show on his campus once or twice a year, and always finds a receptive audience.
``In today's economic climate, a lot of kids are very uncertain about what they're going to do when they graduate,'' he said. ``When I was graduating, I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with my life.
``I was wasn't quite ready to cut my hair and put on a tie and go 9 to 5. A lot of these kids aren't quite ready for that, either.''
In Sierra Leone, Drees taught economics, history, math and English and coached track and basketball in a mission school. ``It was kind of like camping out for two years,'' he said. ``I lived in a mud house with a tin roof. There was no running water or electricity.
``I ended up founding a chicken farm on campus. The Peace Corps encouraged all of us to undertake a secondary project of some sort which would help in the economic development of our respective communities. Good city boy that I was, I learned a lot about chicken farming. I became the Frank Perdue of west Africa. . . . We had a pretty thriving concern by the time I left.
``It was a chance to see the world and grow up a little bit. I was a pink-faced 22-year-old kid coming out of college; I hadn't been around the block much at all. And I came home a 24-year-old, wizened veteran of the world.'' MEMO: PEACE CORPS
Founded: March 1, 1961
Volunteers: 7,000
Average age: 29
Marital status: 92% single
Minorities: 13% of volunteers
Education: 97% with bachelor's degrees, 16% with graduate degrees
Countries served: 95
Areas of service: education 38%, environment 17%, health 16%,
business 14%, agriculture 10%, other 5%
1996 budget: $219 million
What does the Peace Corps do? Some examples:
In Paraguay, volunteers have helped farmers build a factory that
processes vegetable starch.
In Albania, volunteers help businesses improve basic management by
teaching bookkeeping, marketing and development.
In Costa Rica, volunteers are helping farmers reforest 150,000 acres
of critically deforested areas.
In Africa, volunteers conduct child immunization programs, manage
HIV/AIDS education and offer primary care to and children.
Details: 1-800-424-8580.
ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS file
President John F. Kennedy talks to the first 80 Peace Corps
volunteers and news media before the volunteers left for Ghana. Back
then, the typical volunteer was a middle-class white person fresh
out of college.
Color photo by BETH BERGMAN, The Virginian-Pilot
Peace Corps recruiter Tasha Boone talks with a potential volunteer
at ODU last week - part of the corps' effort to recruit minorities.
KEYWORDS: ANNIVERSARY PEACE CORPS by CNB