Needham man headed for Ukraine with Peace Corps

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Photo courtesy of Alex Kaplan

Alex Kaplan, of Needham, will head to Ukraine in September with the Peace Corps

A Needham man who joined the Peace Corps after volunteering in Israel will leave for Ukraine next month to begin a two-year stint teaching English in underdeveloped communities.

“After volunteering in Israel, I saw the dedication and patriotism of their citizens and became inspired to serve my own country,” said Alex Kaplan, 27, in a press release from the Peace Corps. “I left Israel with a firm belief of compulsory service to one’s own country be it military or for peace.”

Kaplan will spend the first three months of his service living with a host family in Ukraine and learning the language and culture. Once he’s well-acquainted with both, he’ll be sworn into service. He’ll be assigned a community in Ukraine where he will teach English at the high school level, according to the release.

There are currently 286 Massachusetts residents serving in the Peace Corps, according to the release, and more than 7,820 Bay State residents have served since 1961.

There are 536 volunteers working in Ukraine right now, serving in the fields of education, economic development and youth development, according to the release.

“I knew I liked volunteering and teaching seemed the perfect opportunity,” said Kaplan in the release.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com