Tom's bio

Hello, my name is Tom and I will be a member of MPT’s Fall Team.In 1995 I retired from my work as a school social worker after spending 24 years meeting with parents of special needs children and helping them qualify for special education.

Prior to working in the schools, I worked in foster care and adoptions but then applied to work with Catholic Relief Services in Vietnam which I did in 1968-69. During this time, I found the love of my life (Mary) and we married two years later. I have three children--all supportive of the peace movement. My two sons and daughter are now adults and on their own.

In 2002, I joined the Peace Corps and was deployed for two years to the small island of St. Lucia. While there I helped establish a special needs program for children with learning disabilities. In 2005, I traveled to Sri Lanka (with Crisis Corps--a branch of Peace Corps) after the tsunami to work in the refugee camps for three months.

In all of these experiences, I loved learning about different cultures and working with the local people. Everyone wants a better life for themselves and their children.

In 2006, I helped found a Pax Christi chapter. At a State convention, I discovered the Michigan Peace Team. I was interested in the work they do and am now excited to be a member of the 2009 Fall Team.