Heather Schwenk is a former Peace Corps volunteer and a retired program administrator. Heather grew up in Iola and attended Kansas State University. Upon graduation she joined the Peace Corps and worked for two years in the Dominican Republic. She had a great experience and became a recruiter for the program, and then a Senior Advisor. One of her projects was revamping the organization’s application process. Volunteers have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture, working on locally prioritized projects. Service areas include agriculture, community and economic development, education, environment, health, and youth development. Three months of training and a monthly stipend, travel costs, medical and dental coverage are provided. Presently, the program is struggling due to severe budget cuts. Heather noted that the Peace Corps shares a number of values and activities with Rotary.
