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ENERGETIC EAST TENNESSEE SENIOR VOLUNTEERS IN ARMENIA
Emily Stroud
WBIR-TV
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/204927/8/Energetic-East-Tennessee-senior-volunteers-in-Armenia
Feb 10 2012
You know her last name because her son, David Dewhirst, is a downtown
developer, but Emily Dewhirst is an adventurer in her own right.
"I've done this all my life just about. I started out when I was 17
and bicycled through Europe, actually mostly France. And I've been
going ever since," Emily Dewhirst explained via Skype from nine time
zones away. "I went in to the Peace Corp, oh I hate to think of how
many years ago, back right after the Berlin Wall came down and went
to Kazakhstan for over two years and absolutely loved it."
Now Emily Dewhirst is doing another stint with the Peace Corp. She's
part of the Peace Corp's Response Program.
"It's a volunteer job but it's a little different from the regular
Peace Corp volunteer job. They take people who have expertise in a
certain field and they match it with somebody all over the world who
needs that expertise. And I happened to choose Armenia and I'm here
basically for six months although I'm extending for seven," she said.
That's to give more time to fully implement her enrichment program
in Armenia.
Her assignment is with the Children of Armenia Fund, COAF.
"I'm an educational consultant and basically I'm here to try to train
teachers in a more modern methodology. They're still using the old
Soviet memorize and regurgitate," she said.
She says the capital city is modern but the villages are more
primitive. They were set up during Soviet times and decayed after
factories closed down.
"COAF has taken over and has helped them immensely in providing water
and sewage and education, new schools and so forth," she said.
Emily Dewhirst is enjoying her COAF assignment.
"The kids are so enthusiastic and they're wonderful to work with,"
she said.
So what does she look forward to on her return to East Tennessee?
"Food," she said with a laugh. "The food isn't bad here, don't
misunderstand me. It's just not like home."
Meantime, she's making herself at home nine times zones away.
"I am amazing Armenians because I am 82 years old and their 82 year
olds have long since retired and have been wheelchair bound or home
bound for heaven knows how long, so I am kind of a one of a kind here,"
she said.
She's a one of a kind anywhere.
The organization she's working with, COAF, partners with local and
international organizations to revitalize rural villages in Armenia.
Emily Stroud
WBIR-TV
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/204927/8/Energetic-East-Tennessee-senior-volunteers-in-Armenia
Feb 10 2012
You know her last name because her son, David Dewhirst, is a downtown
developer, but Emily Dewhirst is an adventurer in her own right.
"I've done this all my life just about. I started out when I was 17
and bicycled through Europe, actually mostly France. And I've been
going ever since," Emily Dewhirst explained via Skype from nine time
zones away. "I went in to the Peace Corp, oh I hate to think of how
many years ago, back right after the Berlin Wall came down and went
to Kazakhstan for over two years and absolutely loved it."
Now Emily Dewhirst is doing another stint with the Peace Corp. She's
part of the Peace Corp's Response Program.
"It's a volunteer job but it's a little different from the regular
Peace Corp volunteer job. They take people who have expertise in a
certain field and they match it with somebody all over the world who
needs that expertise. And I happened to choose Armenia and I'm here
basically for six months although I'm extending for seven," she said.
That's to give more time to fully implement her enrichment program
in Armenia.
Her assignment is with the Children of Armenia Fund, COAF.
"I'm an educational consultant and basically I'm here to try to train
teachers in a more modern methodology. They're still using the old
Soviet memorize and regurgitate," she said.
She says the capital city is modern but the villages are more
primitive. They were set up during Soviet times and decayed after
factories closed down.
"COAF has taken over and has helped them immensely in providing water
and sewage and education, new schools and so forth," she said.
Emily Dewhirst is enjoying her COAF assignment.
"The kids are so enthusiastic and they're wonderful to work with,"
she said.
So what does she look forward to on her return to East Tennessee?
"Food," she said with a laugh. "The food isn't bad here, don't
misunderstand me. It's just not like home."
Meantime, she's making herself at home nine times zones away.
"I am amazing Armenians because I am 82 years old and their 82 year
olds have long since retired and have been wheelchair bound or home
bound for heaven knows how long, so I am kind of a one of a kind here,"
she said.
She's a one of a kind anywhere.
The organization she's working with, COAF, partners with local and
international organizations to revitalize rural villages in Armenia.