Lou Brothers and daughter, Jennifer
Dan Cahill, Kenitra,
68-70 and Janet Gornick
James A. Corcoran, friend of Bob Zambrano
S. Louise Hoare, 90-91 Rabat
Mary Garrison, Beni Mellal & Marrakech 70-72
John Kopec, Kenitra from 68 to 72
Brenda Bryant Petta, Agadir 70-72 and daughter, Beth Petta
Tim Resch, Ouezzane and Rabat, 70-74
Polly Scoville, Fez 63-65
Michael F. Smith, Casablanca 63-65
Linda Whittington, Casablanca 85-87
Tara Whittington, daughter of Linda
Bob Zambrano, 63-65
Jabeen Bhatti, Washington Times reporter
Marilee
McClintock, 00-02 Agadir
Friends
of Morocco (FOM),
active since 1988, is an organization of Americans, mostly returned Peace Corps
volunteers (RPCVs), with experience in Morocco and Moroccans in America united
with an interest in promoting educational, cultural, charitable, social,
literary and scientific exchange between Morocco and the United States of
America. Details see http://morocco.home.att.net/
FOM
seeks to:
reunite
Americans with Morocco experience and Moroccans in America;
improve
the awareness of Americans regarding the culture, needs and achievements of
Moroccan peoples;
keep
members and others current on events in Morocco;
support
projects of the U.S. Peace Corps and private charitable organizations in Morocco;
organize
and implement development education and outreach activities;
fund and support charitable
projects and scholarship on Morocco and Moroccans.
The
National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), with
whom Friends of Morocco is affiliated, was
incorporated in 1983 as the national alumni association for the people who have
served as volunteers and staff in the Peace Corps. The NPCA also welcomes the
families and friends of the Peace Corps community to join as associate members.
It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with over 11,000 members and 130
affiliated groups. The NPCA
and its affiliate groups produce global education programs and advocacy
campaigns, and they provide community, national and international services. It
is governed by an elected board of directors, and is managed by a professional
staff with headquarters in Washington, DC. It is not a part of the United States
Peace Corps which is a federal agency. We are citizens who served in communities
in more than 134 developing countries since the Peace Corps was created in 1961.
That global experience defined our lives and changed our views of the world and
of our role in that world. We are teachers, community activists, business
leaders, government officials, members of Congress, ambassadors, social
entrepreneurs, and other members of the Peace Corps family.
Details at http://www.rpcv.org/
Peace
Corps.
2001 is the 40th Anniversary of Peace Corps and the 39th
Anniversary of Peace Corps service to Morocco during which time over 4000
Americans served in Morocco and over 160,000 in 135 countries throughout the
world.The PeaceCorps’ mission is to foster world peace and friendship with all
the myriad nuances that those words evoke. The agency fulfills this mission in
part by recruiting, training, and supporting thousands of Volunteers who provide
technical assistance in many of the world’s poorest countries. At the same
time, Peace Corps Volunteers build mutual understanding between Americans and
the people of the countries they serve. Peace Corps will begin to capture the
capacity building aspects of this technical assistance based upon new efforts to
monitor and evaluate Volunteer activities. While it is possible to measure some
aspects of the agency’s success in providing technical assistance to
developing countries, it is less obvious how to gauge the intangible outcomes
that benefit our host countries and our own nation based upon the cross-cultural
exchanges and heightened mutual understanding that are an essential part of
Volunteer service. It is also no simple task to measure the specific impacts of
a Volunteer’s efforts, many of which play out during the lives of their
students, counterparts, and community leaders.
The
three goals set forth in the Peace Corps Act: are:
To
work at the grassroots level with people of the host countries in sustainable
development activities that will improve the conditions of their lives; and
To
foster improved mutual understanding and build links between the American
people and the people of host countries;
To
demonstrate, through the personal commitment of the Volunteers, the interest
and involvement of American citizens in the welfare of people of other countries
that is distinct and separate from the official relations and policies of
governments.
Volunteers
are the heart and soul of the Peace Corps. Through their various individual
efforts the agency is able to provide direct assistance to those most in need at
the community level. Each Volunteer is challenged to learn the local language;
to adapt to local customs; and to become an active participant in the life of
the community in which they serve. In so doing, the Volunteer is better able to
transfer skills directly to those who have the greatest need for them –
whether it be in education, the environment, health, agriculture, economic
development or information technology. Details
at http://www.peacecorps.gov
Casablanca
Travel and Tours
, is a tour company and study tour organizer, specialized only in travel
to Morocco
Hassan
Samrhouni
is Moroccan-born and an American citizen since 1990. Originally Berber
Born in Fes and lived in Casablanca. Worked in Morocco from
1973-1982 at The office of Commercialization and exportation ( OCE)
Moved
to States 1982. Went to school in States
from 1982 to 84, Worked in the hospitality business from 1984 - 1989,
teaches Arabic at the Diplomatic language services 1989-1992. Owned
and managed Casablanca Travel and Tours from 1992 to present.
http://www.moroccotravelandtours.com . He used
to be an international soccer player, played for WAC Casablanca
for 14 years. He created WAC Washington in 1991 http://www.washingtonmoroccanclub.org/wac.htm. and
He
is the founder and present President of The Washington Moroccan
Club, an American Moroccan intercultural,
social, and sport organization.
http://www.washingtonmoroccanclub.org/
Dan
Cahill was
a TEFL Volunteer in Kenitra, 1968-70.
He is a filmmaker, experienced in directing, writing, cinematography/videography,
and editing. Dan has an M.F.A. from New York University in Film and TV production,
and 25 years experience in dramatic, educational, and industrial films/videos.
He has experience writing for a major Hollywood studio, and is a member of
the Writers Guild of America. His work has won awards, most recently a 2000
Communicator Crystal Award for a dramatic legal education video he directed.
His base of operations is the New York University Law School, where he is
Manager of Video Services. He
will be creating a video record of the trip serving as director, videographer
and editor.
Janet Gornick (in addition to being the significant other of RPCV Dan
Cahill) is a professor of political science at the City University of New
York (CUNY). When she isn't teaching undergraduates who have come to New York
City from all over the world, she spends her time studying the politics and
economics of social welfare policy. She is now completing a book on social
policy and gender equality, comparing the United States to several European
countries. In 1999, Janet celebrated receiving tenure at CUNY (a long, no-fun
process) by accompanying Dan on a three-week trip to Morocco, where they looped
through Casa, Marrakesh, Essaouira, Rabat, Kenitra, Tangier, Chefchaouen,
Al-Hoceima, Fez, and Meknes. She looks forward to reprising the highlights
of her earlier trip: the intense learning experience, the lively conversation,
the coastal air, and -- last but not least -- the henna tattoos.
Lou Brothers: Lou is a clinical social worker with 30+ years
of experience in the mental health/substance abuse treatment areas.
He is currently the Chief Social Worker for the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry,
a division of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. He also
teaches in the Social Work program at the University of Southern Colorado,
and he is a certified instructor in Colorado's training program for certifying
substance abuse counselors. After hearing tales of Morocco since the
late 60s from friends Dan Cahill and John Kopec, He is quite delighted at
the opportunity to see all these wonders for himself.
Jennifer Brothers (Lou's daughter) lives in Portland, OR, and
she is an R.N. working in the emergency room of a hospital in Salem.
She is very active in the great outdoor life of Oregon and does volunteer
work, particularly with the Oregon food bank.
Mary Garrison: I was part of the kindergarten program in Beni Mellal
and then Marrakech from 1970 - 1972. My experiences made me want to share
the world of cultures to American students. When I returned to Florida,
I was hired as a teacher in the Pasco County School System where I am still
employed. Using my BA in Elementary Education, I taught sixth grade for ten
years. After adding certification in secondary social studies, I taught social
studies in middle school for fourteen years. My favorite subject is still
geography. During this time, principals would enroll non or limited
English speaking children in my classes because I had experienced another
language. This encouraged me to work towards a Masters Degree in Teaching
English as a Second Language at St. Michael's College in Vermont. Today
I am an ESOL resource teacher serving more than 100 children in three elementary
schools. It's my job to assess their English fluency, complete state documentation
of equal and equitable access to educational opportunities, and train teachers
to assist these children to learn English within a mainstream setting.
John M. Kopec was a TEFL Volunteer at College Takkadoum in Kenitra,
1968 to 1972. It was there that his career took root. John holds an MA in
Applied Linguistics from Ohio University and has been teaching EFL and ESL
since 1968. He's been at Boston University's Center for English Language and
Orientation Programs since 1977. He has also taught ESL and lived in Iran,
Poland, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China. John returned to Morocco in the late
'80s to give a presentation at a language learning conference at Mohamed V
University, Casablanca. Now, he is returning with his former Peace Corps roommate
and friend, Dan Cahill.
Brenda Bryant Petta served in a preschool program in Agadir from '70
to '72 working with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Through this
experience, I discovered a love of teaching young children. Upon returning
to the States, I worked for the State of Wisconsin's Community Corrections
programs for eleven years before enrolling at the College of St.
Catherine for Montessori teacher training, and subsequently at the University
of Wisconsin-River Falls for a Masters in Elementary Education.
Presently, I am teaching in a Montessori Children's House setting for
Saint Paul Public Schools. This setting is well-suited for
teaching about other cultures. Our students' backgrounds are
truly international! My Moroccan Peace Corps experience has influenced
my teaching in so many ways. Students are told that "a piece of
my heart will always be in Morocco." They learn Moroccan
songs and how to count in Arabic and a Berber dialect. The
Moroccan's use of songs/chants to reinforce concepts has been adopted
by me also. I compose songs frequently...including songs for
teaching the countries of the world. I am married to Tom Petta, and
we have two children, Beth, 22, and Bryant, 19.
Beth Petta, daughter of volunteer Brenda Bryant Petta, is an insurance
agent and college student. She has participated in short-term
service projects in Germany, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil. Having
been raised hearing tales about Morocco and having enjoyed Moroccan cuisine, Beth
is excited to experience Morocco for herself in October.
Tim
Resch
(Forestry 70-74 in Ouezzane and Rabat) has been active in Friends of Morocco
since it’s inception in 1988 and now serves as President.
His day job now is Manager of the East Asia and Pacific Environmental
Initiative, a US State Department/USAID environmental grants program.
A big chunk of his career, however, has been in Africa providing technical
advice to USAID forestry, wildlife and biodiversity conservation interventions
across the continent. He has a daughter who is a third year nursing student
at the College of St Benedict in St Joseph, Minnesota, about 15 miles southeast
of Lake Wobegon. A believer in
the goals of Peace Corps, Tim’s motivation for service to Friends of Morocco
stems from the generous hospitality and patience provided by Moroccans during
his Peace Corps service almost 30 years ago.
Polly Rightmire Scoville was a PCV in Fes, '63-'65, teaching ESL at
Lycee Moulay Idriss. Ever since then, with a few years off to raise
4 children, she has been teaching ESL--to adults in Alexandria, VA and
recently to high school students in Flint Hill,VA where she now lives
with husband Russ. In Alexandria, they lived on a mini-farm, where she
raised chickens, ducks, geese, and dairy goats. Fortunately, neighbors
didn't complain about roosters crowing. Her family hosted exchange students
for many years. They were legal guardians for two young Ethiopian boys
who lived with them for four years. Polly is now a proud grandmother
of five, and enjoys the peace and beauty of the countryside near the Blue
Ridge mountains where they moved last year when Russ retired
Mike Smith was a PCV in Casablanca, from 1963-1965, in a Youth and
Sports program. Mike coached both swimming and wrestling at the Moroccan national
level. In addition, Mike was a national Peace Corps recruiter from 1965-1966,
recruiting at colleges/universities across the United States.
Mike recently retired from IBM, as a senior level manager,
after 36 years of employment. Mike is married to Diane Renfroe and has
2 children (Hilary 26 yrs and Morgan 24 yrs). Mike is an avid swimmer
and enjoys traveling.
Linda Whittington Actually, since I wasn't stationed there as a PC
volunteer, what can I say. I made numerous trips to Morocco between
1985-87, home basing in Casablanca but traveling to various parts of the country. The
hospitality was so warm and the culture so rich that it became a second
home to me. Saying that "heart strings" initially took me
there sounds too dramatic!
Jabeen Bhatti is a reporter for the Washington
Times who covers education, politics and anything else that strikes her fancy.
She has been a reporter for seven years in New York, Minnesota and the Washington
area. After graduating from American University with a degree in international
studies, she thought she would work in international development. Instead,
she ended up teaching English and politics in a Polish university and later
in S.Korea. After, she switched careers by earning a masters degree in journalism
at Columbia University. In what little spare time she has, she loves to travel,
write, read, garden and play with her Siberian Husky, Mohawk. She looks forward
to writing articles about her first adventure in Morocco.
Marilee
McClintock
entered peace corps after a 30 plus year career in
urban planning and local government, real estate development, logistics
and international business. She
has just COS’d after serving in the second Morocco group of the small business
development sector, specifically working with rural artisans in
Chtouka Ait Baha. Chtouka
is a large province bounded by Agadir, Taroudant, Tafroute and Tiznit which
FOM will be visiting. She became
so enamored of Morocco and Moroccans that she is making her permanent home
in Agadir. She hopes to continue
working with artisans, although there will be eight sbd pcv’s in the greater
Agadir area this year. She also
writes on business, economics, investment and travel for a number of publications
including Urban Land magazine and
Agora International publications.
