Carol Stadden, 55, of Old Brooklyn, Ohio, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Moldova June 4 to begin training as an agriculture business development volunteer. Stadden will make a difference training entrepreneurs and managers in business planning, marketing, and financial management, while also advising agribusinesses, cooperatives, and farmers.
Stadden, who earned an associate sous chef degree from Portland Community College in Portland, Ore., in 1981, has worked as a pastry chef and baker over her career. She also has gardening and agricultural volunteer experience with the Fairhill Intergenerational Gardening program and Cleveland Botanical Garden, both in Cleveland. At home, Stadden is a backyard beekeeper, vegetable gardener, and canner.
“As a pastry chef running a small bakery, there were always problems to solve and clients to please. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I will be expected to find clients and work with them in finding the tools they will need to address their specific needs,” Stadden said. “I’m sure my experience interning on various farms and volunteering with the Cleveland Botanical Garden will give me a much better understanding of the agricultural problems facing Moldovan farmers.”
Stadden, who has three children, five step-children, and seven grandchildren, will be serving without her husband, Craig Stadden, a postal carrier, but the couple already has plans for Craig to visit Moldova after Carol’s first year of service and again after she completes service, when they can explore Western Europe together.
“My family is excited for me and a little in awe, mostly because they don’t think they could commit to 27 months away from family and friends,” Stadden said. “I told my grandchildren that they did not have permission to get older while I was gone!”
During the first three months of her service in Moldova, Stadden will complete technical, language, health and safety training while living with a host family to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. The training and cultural exchange prepare Stadden for her two years of service, while also allowing community members to gain a better understanding of Americans. After Stadden is sworn into service and assigned to a community, she will work on sustainable, community-driven development projects that make a difference for the people of Moldova and provide Stadden with leadership and cross-cultural skills she can use throughout her career.
“My love of preparing food led to a love of growing food, which led to a desire to help others learn the basics of growing healthy food,” Stadden said. “I hope to learn the Moldovan way of farming, wine and cheese production, beekeeping, and animal husbandry, and possibly share some helpful ideas and techniques.”
Ohio is one of the top states for Peace Corps volunteers, and Stadden joins the 291 Ohio residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 6,875 Ohio residents have served as volunteers since the agency was created in 1961.
About Peace Corps/Moldova: More than 1,150 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Moldova since the program was established in 1993. Currently, about 110 volunteers serve in Moldova. Volunteers work in the areas of English education, health, business development and community development. Volunteers are trained and work in Romanian and Russian.
About the Peace Corps: Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, more than 210,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries. Today, 8,073 volunteers are working with local communities in 76 host countries in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment and the agency’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries. Visit www.peacecorps.gov for more information.