For some, the thought of retirement is coupled with pictures of sandy beaches, vacation getaways or simply a step toward a more leisurely lifestyle.

For New Iberia native Edwin Patout, 59, retirement signaled the start of a full-time job in Ukraine and his two-year commitment to the Peace Corps.

“I wanted to give back in some way, and the Peace Corps philosophy on doing good things is in alignment with the way I think,” said Patout. “After a full career, I decided I would do that.”

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Patout, a retired lawyer who practiced 30 years in New Iberia, is one example of the growing number of retirees, or “baby boomers,” who have opted to join the Peace Corps as older Americans.

The trend stems from a “50-+” initiative started in September 2007 by Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter, who wanted to bring in their needed skills and expertise, said Peace Corps spokesperson Laura Lartigue.

“They can contribute a great deal to the development of communities overseas since people can learn so much from their life’s experiences,” Lartigue said.

Of the 8,079 volunteers serving, 406 are 50 or older.

“I know from my personal experience how valuable it is to the younger volunteers to have older volunteers among us,” said Lartigue, who served in the Peace Corps as a teacher trainer in Mali in 1991.

The initiative also responds to a change in demographics in the United States, with a rise in aging “baby boomers” who often remember former President John F. Kennedy’s speeches about the Peace Corps, Lartigue said.

“It offers older Americans a meaningful alternative to the traditional retirement scenario,” said Lartigue.

“Although they may not have been able to serve at an earlier stage in their lives, they often find that they are more than able and willing to do it later in life.”

Though Patout originally wanted to go to Africa, he was assigned work as a consultant and business educator in a “beautiful, old medieval town” in Ukraine because of his background.

“I was fortunate,” he said. “I could’ve very easily been put in a village teaching children in a block apartment. You have to be flexible.”

He worked to raise money for several non profit groups and non government organizations, and also taught business classes at a Catholic university.

“There’s very little structure in what you do,” he said. “They will put you out there, but it’s up to you to develop it. You have to really make a commitment. If it was easy, then people would just get there and go home.”

Patout focused on teaching the former Soviet country how to use Western management practices and business ethics in an attempt to ease the corruption problem there, he said.

His service in the Peace Corps helped him land a federal government job with the Office of Community Services after he returned.

Patout resides in Washington, but said he eventually will return to New Iberia.

“It (the Peace Corps) is about altruism and doing good, but it also serves as a stepping stone,” he said.

“It’s going to be a balance of doing good for the host country and doing good for yourself.”

Like other returned volunteers, Patout said the bureaucracy involved with the organization is a challenge, but it was overall an exceptional experience.

“I had an adventure and was able to travel a lot,” he said. “I gave some and got some back.”