Continued...

I found purpose by founding and directing marine programs for young ex-offenders and rehabilitated heroin addicts at the South Street Seaport Museum. I directed a marine trade school, sail-training onboard a historic schooner and managed the museum’s historic ships and piers. After seven years I was exhausted working in New York City.

I studied childhood development and directed the formation of the Minnesota Children’s Museum and then moved to Galveston Texas to direct the restoration of the historic square-rigged ship, ELISSA. The six years restoring, sailing, and operating ELISSA led to years founding, directing, and consulting on historic vessels and sail-training programs for young people.

Through my commitment to be of service to improving people’s lives, I worked as a licensed behavior specialist with at-risk children. I also became a certified life coach to assist my clients to create well being in their lives.

Upon retirement I helped care for my wife’s parents who were in their 80’s by moving them from Louisiana to our home in Maine. In hindsight this was not ideal because of the winter weather kept them housebound for fear of the possibility of their falling in Maine’s icy winters.

Our decision to move to from Maine to Costa Rica was to escape winter weather and provide better care for our elders, to live in a warmer climate, to reduce the high cost of living in the United States and to experience a new adventure in our lives. We feel blessed to be in Costa Rica and even more so because we found our dream home near the wonderful city of San Ramon.

We started a volunteer organization, Volunteers Fostering Education (VFE), to “give back” to our new homeland. We all were native English speakers, so we began a volunteer program helping young Costa Ricans learn English to increase their employment opportunities. We have worked with different organizations: the University of Costa Rica, ITCR, INA’s year-long English program, and the San Ramon public school system by adopting individual escuelas. Our next commitment is to implement a program to assist ex-pats who have immigrated to Costa Rica, to learn Spanish. We believe it is inappropriate to live in a Latin country without making a concerted effort to learn Spanish.

As a member of the steering committee of the Community Action Alliance, I hope to have VFE serve as the education committee for the Alliance. I am committed to fully participate to help the Alliance serve San Ramon.