Becoming Aware & Volunteering

The Old Guard News of the North American Fellowship of YMCA Retirees [NAFYR] in June 2006 headlined the request of its International Senior Service Corps [ISSC] for YMCA retiree volunteers to spend six months in Chengdu or Beijing, China, "learning the culture of a foreign country while having a guaranteed experience of a lifetime." NAFYR volunteers teach English and provide program and management assistance to YMCAs they serve.

I read the article over breakfast, discussed it with my wife who encouraged me to consider this opportunity for international service, and contacted Peg, the ISSC Chair, regarding my interest. Learning that the Chengdu opportunity still existed and after talking with Carole and Larry who were the NAFYR volunteers in Chengdu last year, I submitted a brief resume and references. In a short time I was notified that I had been accepted as the NAFYR Volunteer for 2006-2007 with the Chengdu YMCA and would be spending October 2006 through March 2007 in Chengdu in Sichuan Province in southwestern China.