People of all ages and from all walks of life serve on Global Volunteers programs. You’ll find active retirees with a wide range of skills to share; all uniting in a common vision of global possibility.
Alumni Karen Isaac had just retired from 30 years of teaching elementary school when she saw “the most amazing photos” of Global Volunteers in St. Lucia posted on Facebook by her friend Gila Cohen-Shaw. A Global Volunteers alumna, Gila has advised other volunteers to “crowdsource” their service program. What has followed is a heart-centered commitment […]
Global Volunteers Alumna Maggi Gallaher said retirement has liberated her to indulge her appetite for volunteering. For her fourth service program, she served at Sagrada Familia, a community in Peru serving 1,400 at-risk children, from one month to 17 years. The community shelters about 600 homeless and abandoned children and provides nutrition, healthcare and education. […]
Returning from a service program can make you itch for more meaningful travel. Deciding where to volunteer next can be challenging, however. But maybe you don’t have to make the decision all over again. LeAnn Plinske and Jennifer O’Neill are alumni who chose to return to where they originally served. Here they share their experience […]
A recent retiree volunteering in Cuba describes the sights, sounds and inspiration she experienced while practicing English conversation with gracious elders and lively students. Mary Ann Fitzgerald says her life was enriched through this unique program, and shares how Global Volunteers enabled her to easily and safely explore Havana, Cuba through service. Florida retiree Mary […]
First-time volunteer Kathy Lafond was motivated to expand her volunteering options once she retired. “It’is time for me to give back to those less fortunate,” said the former IT project manager from VA. She chose St. Lucia for the opportunity to tutor 6- year-olds for two weeks. There, she said she learned more than she […]
Retired engineer and Global Volunteers alumnus Greg Enders has been motivated by a lifelong desire to support and help those in need. He first joined Global Volunteers in China in 2008 to teach conversational English in schools. His second service program in Asia came with the opportunity to experience more of the continent’s diverse culture […]
After a 30-year professional teaching career, Global Volunteers alumna Pat Harper said she’s not finished teaching! In her 80s when she first served with us in Vietnam in 2014, she was drawn to the the opportunity to again help others learn. The joy she found teaching in retirement on a service program in Cuba not […]
Freedom from career demands led retired college professors Sharon and David Moore of Arizona to Cuba with Global Volunteers. In an interview with Volunteer Engagement Manager Maggie Bjorklund, Sharon and David explain how retirees can explore Cuba, experience an intriguing culture, connect and engage with people, build bridges of understanding and respect, and do something […]
Forty years ago, Laura Tomlinson and Kim Berge worked together in Colorado Springs. They parted ways soon after college to pursue their careers – Kim attended a Physician Assistant program in CT and Laura pursued a graduate degree in Education in CA. They never lived in the same town again. Each got married, raised their own families, established […]
Before Bob departed for a three-week service program teaching English to Chinese students in Xi’an, he did a self-check. He wasn’t a teacher, didn’t speak Chinese, but he had coached individuals and small groups on using English as a second language. Global Volunteers staff assured him he was positioned to make a difference. With only […]