Donald and Mickey Marshall: Dedicated Global Volunteers Couple

Global Volunteers salutes Donald (Don) and Mickey Marshall for their loyalty, dedication, and service. Since 2006, Don has volunteered on 10 Global Volunteers service programs, and together, he and Mickey have served on 9 of them in the Cook Islands, Peru, Tanzania, Costa Rica, China and St. Lucia.

Don teaching young students English in Kunming, China.

Don writes,

As a retired chemistry professor who enjoyed teaching chemistry, it was quite natural to select teaching with the Global Volunteers. Teaching is a great way to learn in depth about the people and the culture of the host country. I have visited many countries and working with Global Volunteers is by far the best way to learn about the country.

My best labor project was working at a women’s co-op in the cloud forest region of Costa Rica. The co-op was a great place for the women to gain some independence. They wanted to start a restaurant so that the older women who couldn’t do crafts anymore would have work to do. There was no problem in communication as my wife, Mickey, a retired high school Spanish teacher, could translate if necessary. As a home owner, I was prepared to do most labor projects. Working aside the local people is also great way to learn about the people and culture.