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.
Three-time volunteer Melinda Staveley says she chooses Global Volunteers service for her travel abroad for the deeper human connection and cultural learning. In Vietnam, Melinda taught conversational English to visually impaired young massage therapists. The non-profit spa where they train and work serves mainly international clients where English language skills are essential. Read on for […]
Veteran volunteer and team leader Sue Surma paused at the start of the new year to reflect on how her 28 service programs have changed her life. In her look back, she says Global Volunteers provides a world context that ensures her gratitude and enriches her understanding of the world. “When I am asked what […]
Alumna Carol McNertney’s “second act” began with her students’ suggestion to expand her horizons. She writes how a promise to them led her on a true journey of the “heart” in her retirement – first to Montana, then to the Cook Islands. By Carol McNertney, Global Volunteers Alumna The Promise Everyone who commits to volunteering […]
Ellen Shenkarow decided to spend her time in retirement helping where necessary through volunteer work. She volunteers with Catholic Social Services helping refugees and asylum seekers in Tucson, Arizona. This summer Ellen, a retired ESL teacher, wanted to spread the spirit of “doing good” with her family and teach her grandson what life is like […]
Four-time Global Volunteer Doris Sweet describes her service projects and some of the logistical aspects of her service program in Cuba in September 2019. She writes about the lodging and meals she enjoyed while volunteering in Havana with her grandson. Read on if you are wondering what a day in service in Cuba looks like […]
Personal referrals account for more than 40 percent of Global Volunteers’ team members, on average, each year. Not only do “word-of-mouth” recommendations lend credibility to our work, but they help us engage needed numbers of team members for each service program. Who do you know that would love to experience the fulfillment of volunteering with […]
“So how was your trip?” is a common question friends and family ask volunteers upon their return from a service program. How do you summarize in a few words – or even a few sentences – what waging peace through people-to-people service means? Anticipating this question near the end of his Peru service program, Mike, […]
In this guest post, Ecuador volunteer Gordon Smith takes us along on his step-by-step discovery of service abroad with preschool children and their teachers in our partner community. Secure as a father and grandfather, he knew he’d relate well to small children – even if they spoke a different language from him. In surrendering to […]
For years, alumni volunteer Peter Dykstra stood on the southernmost point of Key West, Florida and imagined he could reach out over 90 miles of water and touch the Cuban coastline. But the country remained a mystery to him while it was “off limits” to Americans. But when Global Volunteers made legal Cuba service travel […]
Septuagenarian Maggie Caison is a retired middle school teacher who, since retiring, finds herself busier than ever. Apart from volunteering internationally with Global Volunteers, she also volunteers with several organizations in her home town of Lenexa, Kansas. “I feel it’s an honor to give a little of what I can. I love teaching and volunteering […]