On Oct. 14, 1960, then Senator John F. Kennedy stood on the steps of the University of Michigan Union at 2 a.m. He was there to sleep, fresh off a long day of campaigning, but he took a moment to speak to the students that had assembled there. In his speech, he asked these able-bodied men and women to serve, not only their own country, but the rest of the world as well.
Since March 1, 1961, when the Peace Corps was officially established, 195,000 volunteers have served in over 139 countries around the world, according to the organization's Web site.
Along with the thousands of people serving, Ball State University alumni have also done their part.
"I feel like Kennedy's call to 'ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country' still rings true, perhaps even more so today," Ball State University alumnus Chris Naffziger said. "I wanted to feel like I was doing my part."
Naffziger graduated from Ball State in 2003 with a journalism degree and received his master's from the university last spring. After graduation, Naffziger joined the Peace Corps and is currently serving in Burkina Faso in Africa until the winter of 2010.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located approximately 200 miles from the Sahara Desert. The country has suffered numerous military coups since its independence in 1960. Naffziger said the land is relatively barren and so dusty that "people wear surgeon's masks over their mouths when they are driving their motorbikes or riding their bikes."
"In the large cities," he said, "there is a lot of trash all over the place because there isn't any organized trash service. They just burn their trash, if they even do that."
Along with the trash problems, Burkina Faso has a high population, low resources and the second highest illiteracy rate on the planet, he said.
The Peace Corps has three main goals: To help the people of underdeveloped countries gain the assistance of trained men and women, to help people of other countries understand Americans and to help Americans understand the people of other countries. The volunteers are stationed in countries that are in the most need of assistance in areas such as health, education and agriculture. Right now, Naffziger is working on a few different projects. One involves planting trees called 'paradise trees,' known for their nutritious values.
"They are packed with vitamins and minerals, and we are making a powder from the leaves to sell that can help fight against malnutrition," Naffziger said.
Naffziger is also working with two schools in the area to paint maps of the world to hang on the walls of the schools.
"I'm corresponding with a kindergarten class in Illinois," Naffziger said. "The teacher and I are trying to work it out where they can do a map too, and we will share pictures of the process back and forth so the kids in both countries can see what the other is doing."
Other Ball State graduates have also served overseas in the Peace Corps.
Kelly Dwyer graduated from Ball State in 2001 with a double major in painting and graphic design and was based in Lesotho, a small country surrounded by South Africa.
Dwyer said Lesotho is not what people typically think of when they hear the word 'Africa.'
She, like the other members of the Peace Corps, did not choose Lesotho. Dwyer said members are able to make geographical requests, but the actual country is chosen after considering the volunteers' availability, skills and needs.
"I knew I wanted to live abroad, I just thought it would be in a European country," Dwyer said. "When I was in grad school, a good friend told me about his experience in PC and the program sounded very appealing. I knew that I would go to and experience a place that on my own I would never consider going - at that time at least! I long to be overseas again working in a developing nation."
As for people wanting to volunteer, the best way to start is by visiting the Peace Corps Web site and looking around, talking to friends and family or going to a recruiting session, Gregory Renda, a former Peace Corps volunteer and recruiter, said.
Also a Ball State graduate, Renda said he did the majority of his recruiting through college career centers and community events that were held in major metropolitan areas.
"While I recruited, a ton of people joined. We had record numbers of applicants," he said. "I always had decent turnouts for my recruiting presentations."
As the Peace Corps Web site states, "serving as a Peace Corp volunteer means 27 months of hard work. But as with volunteering, the rewards far outweigh the difficulties."
"Your perspective on the world will change," Dwyer said. "You will grow in a way that you can't from books or even from living in the U.S. It's an opportunity to learn about another culture first hand. It's a good time to think about life and decide what direction you want your life to take. It will be the hardest yet most rewarding two years of one's life."
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