The first time Janet Hunter '78 signed up for the Peace Corps, she backed out at the last minute. Her assignment to serve in the Philippines seemed too overwhelming.
The second time she signed up, she didn’t want to return home. After three years of volunteer work in Jamaica, she accepted a five-year position as Jamaica’s associate Peace Corps director.
The story of Hunter’s life boils down to one word: service. A social work major while at Alma, she has always felt the call to help others.
“Service was always a part of learning when I was growing up,” she says.
The call to serve others has led Hunter to a career in which she constantly helps those around her, both locally as director of the Volunteer Services Program at Masonic Pathways in Alma and internationally through her involvement with the Peace Corps.
Hunter’s first exposure to the Peace Corp came during her senior year at Alma. After talking with a visiting recruiter, she signed up and was assigned to a position in the Philippines. Later, feeling daunted by the commitment, she rescinded her plan but says the desire to serve internationally “stayed with me forever.”
The call was so strong that in her mid-30s, Hunter left behind the familiar to join the Peace Corps. After resigning her position at Oakland County Catholic Services and selling most of her belongings, she set out to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica.
“I needed to be part of something more than my little world to learn more about the world and myself.”
“I needed to be part
of something more
than my little world
to learn more about
the world and myself.”
In Hunter’s first three years in Jamaica, she worked with volunteers of all ages to better the lives of Jamaican people. No longer daunted by the challenges she faced, Hunter was one of the few volunteers willing to work in Kingston’s inner-city, a district known for violence, where she focused on community development. When interaction with residents revealed the need for improved medical care, a makeshift clinic was erected under a mango tree to serve the public. Since then, the modest endeavor has been replaced by a grant-funded school and medical clinic — facilities that are “still thriving” thanks to the dedication of many, says Hunter.
After her initial three-year stint as a volunteer, Hunter was not ready to leave Jamaica and the Peace Corps. Rather than return home to the United States, she became Jamaica’s associate Peace Corps director, a five-year position in which she oversaw projects dealing with issues like water resource management, sanitation and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Last winter Hunter planned to assist with tsunami relief efforts in Thailand, but her trip was cancelled unexpectedly. Fortunately, though, opportunities to serve always await the willing. Citing the rewards and fulfillment of helping others in Jamaica and elsewhere, Hunter calls joining the Peace Corps “the best decision I ever made.”
Hunter’s inspiration to serve internationally was initially sparked by President John F. Kennedy’s idea to form the Peace Corps. While she didn’t join the Peace Corps until several years later, Hunter always felt called to the organization.
“I needed to be part of something more than my little world, to learn more about the world and myself,” she says.
Transferring to Alma after starting her college career at Central Michigan University, Hunter was pleased to find volunteerism prominent on the small, close-knit campus.
“When I came to Alma, I immediately saw that service learning was an integral component in the curriculum,” she says. The multiple opportunities to serve on campus helped build her interest in the Peace Corps. Reflecting on her undergraduate years, Hunter notes, “the professors at Alma opened a bigger world to me.”
Hunter’s roots helped her recognize the opportunity to serve not just abroad, but in her own community. Returning to the United States after 11 years with the Peace Corps in Jamaica, Hunter became director of the Volunteer Services Program at Masonic Pathways in Alma, where she enjoys creating volunteer opportunities for residents that “allow them to enrich their lives by helping in the community.”
She also manages a large team of community volunteers who serve in nearly every capacity at Masonic Pathways. Hunter’s service extends beyond her job as she remains involved with the College as a member of the Service Learning Task Force and other programs.
Hunter’s ties to Jamaica will last a lifetime, as her husband, Ivan Gibbs, is a native Jamaican and the couple’s two children were born there. Having returned to her hometown of Alma, Hunter is content but doesn’t rule out the possibility of future travel and service.
– Kelly O’Connor ‘05
