The head of the Peace Corps is planning a visit to Vermont this week. Aaron Williams will join Senator Patrick Leahy for an event Thursday at the University of Vermont highlighting the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers from Vermont.
One of those attending will be UVM doctoral student Charles Kerchner of Burlington, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 2001-2003.
Kerchner imports organic cocoa from the Dominican Republic to make his own brand of chocolates. The business partnership helps the cocoa farmers improve earnings while conserving land in the rainforest canopy to protect migratory songbirds.
Also attending will be John William Meyer of Shelburne. Meyer is a 2010 Middlebury College graduate who recently completed his Peace Corps service in Peru.