BURLINGTON, Vt. -
What do a Middlebury graduate, an artisan chocolate maker and a migratory songbird have in common? They all represent a Vermont tie to the Peace Corps.
"Everywhere I travel I find returned Peace Corps volunteers doing incredible things. And Vermont is no different," said Aaron Williams, the national director of the Peace Corps.
On Thursday, Williams thanked one Vermonter for his service.
"So this, guys, is a Peace Corps blue blood," he said.
Seventeen days after graduating from Middlebury College, John William Meyer was on a plane bound for Peru. The Shelburne native spent the last two years there working on various health initiatives with Peruvian kids. Meyer credits his Peace Corps dad for pushing him to make a difference.
"Just very proud to have served other people in that way and just really made lifelong friends," he said.
Charles Kerchner returned from his Peace Corps service more than a decade ago, but says he still remembers the day he got his site assignment.
"And I saw the words chocolate, Caribbean and village, and needless to say they didn't have to twist my arm," Kerchner said.
Kerchner helped cocoa farmers in the Dominican Republic improve their harvesting techniques and become organically certified. It was a mission that changed his life. He now runs Kerchner Artisan Chocolate. The Vermont business formed an alliance with Dominican farmers. They provide the beans and he blends the chocolate. The company's mascot is a migratory songbird. The Bicknell's thrush splits its time between Vermont and the Dominican Republic, but it may soon become an endangered species. So Kerchner's company partnered with scientists in both countries to protect the bird's habitat.
"So while the project is about conserving a protected species, it's really about building business partnerships and connecting U.S. and Dominican communities," Kerchner said.
"That is a symbiotic relationship we ought to all admire," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.
Leahy praised the work of all of Vermont's volunteers. In the organization's 51 year history, 1,422 Vermonters have volunteers with the Peace Corps. Currently, 47 are serving.
"If there's anybody here who wants to join the Peace Corps, we're all set to sign you up. So we're not just here to smile, we're here to sign you up," Williams said.
Because the Peace Corps is always recruiting.
