PHILADELPHIA, June 8 (UPI) -- Unlike the Marines who want a few young men, the U.S. Peace Corps is actively recruiting the elderly.
Within the next two years Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter wants 15 percent of new recruits to be older than 50, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Friday.
Recruiting baby boomers is not a matter of necessity since the Peace Corps gets plenty of worthy applicants,
Older workers bring experience, advanced skills and maturity to the Peace Corps, Tschetter told the Inquirer.
"Their age and senior status brings a lot of respect" in other countries, he said.
Recruitment efforts appear to be paying off with some 300 people more than 50 years of age attending an informational meeting in Seattle.
Tschetter says older volunteers are attracted by a sense of adventure and mission, and a chance to apply their skills creatively in new settings.
