Charyn Pfeuffer is a journalist with a 12-year career of travel, food and lifestyle writing. Her work has appeared on TravelChannel.com, in Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Sunset, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Seattle Times. She has crisscrossed the globe many times in search of stories to tell, and now she’s making news herself with The Global Citizen Project.
If you think travel writers are spoiled, you’re partly right. They travel the world for free, see all the best sights and attend the most exciting events. Hotels and tourism boards across the globe court and pamper them, vying for a mention in one of their published musings. Charyn is one of the lucky ones, and it’s rare that someone will give up that kind of life to give back — for a whole year, at that.
“The Global Citizen Project will see professional journalist Charyn Pfeuffer swap her BlackBerry for a backpack to volunteer with 12 community projects in 12 countries over 12 months,” says Charyn’s Web site. So far, she’s planning projects like teaching in Honduras, conservation efforts in Ecuador and working with abandoned children in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, among others.
Pfeuffer’s career and history actually make her exceptionally qualified to work as a worldwide humanitarian. For starters, she’s been to many of the places she wants to serve, making her more prepared than your average Peace Corps or Sierra Club volunteer. She’s got some Spanish under her belt and intends to use it; she’s targeting needy Spanish-speaking countries (mostly, but not exclusively). Lastly, she’s sure to write about her experiences when she returns and raise awareness about issues we’ve yet to fathom, as well as educate us about the beauty of our world.
Charyn is just the kind of person we want representing America; earnest, kind, hard working and wicked smart. You can help send her on her journey by giving to The Global Citizen Project on Kickstarter. Any dollar amount will get you a free beer in Boston, and further perks are available for gifts of $10 and up. To help Charyn sans cash, spread the word about her plans by Tweeting or Facebooking this story, or answer her call for project ideas in Europe: “… one that is parks/public lands related, and one more that I’m hoping I’ll learn of via word-of-mouth. If you have any ideas for volunteer projects that may fit the criteria bill (or not), I’m all ears.”
Photos courtesy of Charyn Pfeuffer