Idaho a top state for producing Peace Corps volunteers

The Peace Corps organization said out of 50 states Idaho comes in at No. 7 with the highest number of peace corp volunteers.

Recruiters said having a high number of volunteers can be beneficial to communities because when volunteers go to developing countries, they learn about the culture and about community. They end up bringing their experiences back to the state. Some people even continue to do volunteer work.

Idaho Falls resident Jon Muench volunteered in northern Ukraine where he met his wife. They now live in Idaho Falls.

“I always thought about the Peace Corps ever since I was a kid, and I thought it would be a perfect way, especially after 9/11, to reach out to the rest of the world,” said Muench.

Muench is a retired pilot who went to Ukraine in 2004. He taught karate and English lessons at a school.

“I was there in 2004, 2005; they were going through political turmoil in Ukraine. Of course, as a Peace Corps volunteer, you have to stay neutral, but you feel for the people,” he said.

Every year, he and his wife go back to the village where he taught. He said the people treat him like family.

“It really is a bond that you can’t reproduce by just traveling somewhere,” Muench said.

Today Muench is an actor and teacher. He is currently working on a series that encourages schools to keep their art programs. He also stars as Scrooge at the Virginia Theater in Shelley.

Muench is not the only Idahoan who has volunteered in the Peace Corps. The state had 70 volunteers this year. One recruiter from the agency said volunteering can benefit the Gem State.

“You could come back and get a better understanding of community, which can sometimes get lost in the U.S., we get so busy with our daily routine,” said recruiter Maria Alejandra Garcia .

Meunch said his adventure taught him about the people.

“Things I was able to discover about the Ukranian people you could never do unless you lived through that experience and the Peace Corps gave me that,” he said.

This is the second year Idaho ranks in the top 10 with the highest number of volunteers. The state went from being No. 10 to No. 7 in one year.

President John F. Kennedy established the organization more than 50 years ago. More than 200,000 American volunteers have served in 139 countries. If you would like to learn how to volunteer click here, http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/learn/howvol/.