A funny thing happened as I ordered my Monday afternoon bagel and coffee at the Panera Bread on Broughton Street in beautiful downtown Savannah.
As I told the employee I worked with the NPCA and was expecting some local RPCVs for an informal get-together, the employee noted with delight that she was just nominated for service (in March) in French-speaking West Africa. Not only that, Vivienne Dersin had a scheduled phone call update with her Peace Corps recruiter in about half-an-hour!
Expecting to serve as an environmental education volunteer, Vivienne's service is inspired in part to honor a friend who passed away. Environmental sustainability is at the center of Michelle's Earth Foundation, formed to extend the ideals of her friend, who volunteered for a more stable environment in Brazil, Costa Rica, South Africa and elsewhere.
"The Peace Corps is something everyone should do", said Vivienne, a graduate of the University of Oregon with family roots in Virginia. "People who have the ability to give something back to the world should help those who are not as fortunate. That's how the world should work, and it's cool that we have a government program that allows us to do this."
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