At the May 13th CARV Social and Potluck, Pete Nerone (Togo ’83 – ’87) proposed a “Fourth Goal” for RPCVs: using the skills and attributes you used during your Peace Corps time to continue to serve the community back home. He pointed to his colleagues, Adam Rockel (Macedonia ’04 – ’06) and Kate Green (Moldova ’09 – ’11) who are on the staff of The Center for Great Neighborhoods in Covington, KY. Adam and Kate both served in community development in the Peace Corps and are applying these very techniques to their work here. Of course, Pete is doing the same thing, as a board member of the CGN.
Adam gave us a little background on the Center. It was founded in 1976 as a community development corporation focusing on citizen engagement. Areas of focus include financial literacy, youth, community development and planning, leadership development, health, creative place-making and real estate. Adam is most involved in real estate, where the Center helps families rehabilitate homes, seeking to increase home ownership rates and stabilize the community. The beautiful historic building where the Center’s offices are located, and where CARV met, is another example of the rescue and repurposing of real estate property.
In Macedonia, Adam participated in various community development efforts in an NGO focusing on environmental policy, but also organizing a popular bike race and establishing multi-ethnic leadership camps for boys (both of which are still going strong). His Peace Corps service was a “great experience,” with great relationships with wonderful people.
When Kate returned from Moldova, she was consciously seeking for a domestic version of the Peace Corps. She became a University of Cincinnati Coverdell fellow and interned with the Center for Great Neighborhoods, which hired her as soon as she finished her program. In Moldova, Kate taught English but her experience evolved into community development, which was and is her passion. She founded an empowerment group for boys and girls that tackled the problem of solid waste management in their town of 3,000 people. She also headed up the Girls Leading Our World program for Moldova, creating a curriculum guide that can be used by PCVs throughout the country to establish leadership camps. Kate maintains her friendships in Moldova and recently returned with her new husband to visit.