Just a couple decades ago, only the young adult children of the very rich, the very religious or the very adventurous ventured abroad to live and work in other cultures.

"It was a life-changing experience for those of us fortunate enough to be offered it," says Ross Palfreyman a lawyer who recounts his two years as a young missionary during the 1970s in Two Years in God's Mormon Army (www.mormonarmy.net).

"If you had wealthy parents, joined the Peace Corps or belonged to a faith with a belief in mission work, you were able to develop empathy and a broader world view at a younger age," he says.

"In my church, young men typically go abroad for their mission trip at 19 years old and stay for two years. For Baptists, it may be a group of high school students spending their spring break building a church in Haiti. Whatever the reason, the lessons learned were the same: Less ethnocentricity, the gratification that comes from service to your fellow man, self-discipline, self-sacrifice."

Travel abroad for work and study is no longer the experience of a select few and that has helped shape America's young adults for the better, Palfreyman says. Surveys show they have a global world view fostered by the internet and social networks that cross boundaries.

Having online "friends" in other countries and being immediately connected to events in faraway lands through social networks such as Twitter makes them curious about and respectful of other cultures, he says.

"America's young adults are the 'First Globals,' a term coined by the pollster John Zogby," Palfreyman says. "The group of people born from 1979 to 1990 travel; they embrace and feel connected to other cultures; they want to make a difference."

That's exactly what his two years as a missionary did for him, Palfreyman says.

He notes these characteristics of 22- to 33-year-olds:

• Two-thirds have passports. By comparison, according to officials from the U.S. Travel Association, less than one-third of all Americans - 30 percent - have passports. Two of five Globals say they expect to live and work in a foreign capital at some time in their lives.

• 270,000 young people studied abroad in 2009-10. In 1989-90, only about 30,000 did so, according to the International Institute of Education. While Western European countries are still their top destinations, students are increasingly choosing more far-flung locales, especially China and other Asian nations.

• They want to "make the world a better place to live." A study of 10,000 adults by Campbell & Co. fundraising consultants found this group is more likely than any other generation to cite world improvement as the key reason for their philanthropy. (They also give just as much as other generations.)

• They want to make a global impact. The Campbell study found they are most likely of all age groups to respond positively to messages that focus on the global impact of an organization's work.

The problems we face today, such as global warming and regional conflicts, will require nations and cultures to work together toward solutions, Palfreyman says.

"This generation just might be able to achieve that."

About Ross H. Palfreyman

Ross H. Palfreyman is a Laguna Beach, Calif., lawyer who began his mission work in 1973 in Thailand, during the Vietnam War and the Thai Revolution of '73. Two years of trying to convince devout Buddhists that they'd be better off as Mormons was trying enough, he also was threatened at gunpoint and fended off parasites and rabid dogs during his "indentured servitude." He initially wrote about his experiences for his six children. Palfreyman's youngest son returns from his mission in Mexico in August.

Announces $211 million from Illinois Jobs Now! for 15 CREATE projects;

Additional $93.8 million for City of Chicago road & bridge projects;

Next Phase to Create Nearly 20,000 Jobs

 BELLWOOD - July 10, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a law to begin the next phase of his historic Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, which will create jobs, strengthen our transportation system and support economic growth across Illinois. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider, local officials and labor representatives joined the governor as he signed House Bill 4568, authorizing the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to proceed with $1.6 billion worth of road, rail and transit projects across Illinois.

As part of Governor Quinn's commitment to building a 21st century transportation network in Illinois, this next phase in Illinois Jobs Now! will create or support an estimated 18,400 jobs. The governor also signed two additional bills to support transportation projects.

"Three years ago, we passed the largest capital construction program in Illinois history to put people to work repairing roads, bridges and transit systems across our state," Governor Quinn said. "From building new lanes on Route 13 in Southern Illinois, high speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis, to rebuilding Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois Jobs Now! is strengthening our economy and infrastructure every day. Today's law ensures that Illinois will continue moving forward."

Sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion), HB 4568 authorizes the issuance of more than $1.6 billion in bonds to pay for $817.3 million in new highway projects, including $100 million of direct funding for cities, counties and townships to make local road improvements. Also included is $799.5 million in mass transit and rail improvements during the 2013 fiscal year, including 15 Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) projects and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red, Purple and Blue Line improvements.

Today's law will improve transit safety and efficiency by dedicating $211 million of the announced state funds to CREATE projects, leveraging $10.4 million in federal Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER IV)  grants and a $136 million investment from freight railroads.

"CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership among the U.S. Department of Transportation and Illinois, Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and our nation's freight railroads," U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood said. "These investments will lead to faster service, more efficient operations and more capacity for future expansion. CREATE is a great reminder that when we invest in our transportation infrastructure, we can put Americans back to work today, and help our economy grow for years to come."

Governor Quinn also today announced $93.8 million to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to resurface almost 100 miles of major arterial streets throughout the city. These new funds bring the governor's total commitment to City of Chicago transportation improvements to $6.1 billion.

"We are proud of the achievements of Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan, which has greatly improved safety and quality of life for Illinois residents," said Secretary Schneider. "Funding critical transportation and rail projects will help improve the safety of the motoring public, improve access to public transit and alleviate travel delays."

"I commend Governor Quinn on Illinois Jobs Now! This important capital program is helping to fund essential infrastructure and transportation projects across the Chicago area, and is helping to create and support hundreds of thousands of jobs around the state," said Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez. "I am pleased that we can continue to support our workers with this next phase of the Illinois Jobs Now! program."

Included in the CREATE projects is the $36.2 million construction of an overpass at 25th Avenue through Melrose Park and Bellwood. This project will support approximately 325 jobs, improve safety, reduce roadway congestion, minimize delays, and improve access to the Metra commuter station throughout the corridor from St. Charles Avenue to Lake Street.

"I want to thank Governor Quinn and Senator Durbin for their continued efforts to support projects that greatly impact our community," Bellwood Mayor Frank A. Pasquale said. "I am delighted for our residents and business owners that funding has been approved to provide for a new bridge as a component of the rail grade separation project. The bridge will help make travel on 25th Avenue safer and faster, and make Bellwood an even more attractive place to live, work and play."

"We are grateful to Governor Quinn and Secretary LaHood for recognizing the importance of this vital project and for providing the state and federal funding that will enable it to move forward," Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico said. "It will provide a welcome measure of added safety for motorists and reinvigorate economic development in the 25th Avenue corridor."

First passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Quinn in 2009, the six-year, $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital program in state history. Of the $14 billion in the program dedicated for transportation needs, $10.7 billion has been spent on projects that have improved 6,426 miles of roadway and 961 bridges. The program so far has created or supported more than 140,000 jobs.

Governor Quinn also today signed House Bill 3875, sponsored by Rep. Marlow Colvin (D-Chatham) and Sen. Tony Munoz (D-Chicago), which extends the deadline date from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2014 for when the Regional Transportation Authority may issue, sell and deliver specific additional Working Cash Notes.

In addition, the governor signed House Bill 4036, sponsored by Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines) and Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), which authorizes the Suburban Bus Board to borrow money for several bus garage expansion and conversion projects throughout the Chicago suburban area.

A complete list of Illinois Jobs Now! road, rail, and transit projects and the additional City of Chicago projects supported by the state is available at www.dot.state.il.us (or see the attached).

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad today named Steven K. Ferguson the new executive director of the Iowa Agricultural Development Authority. Ferguson begins his new position on Monday, July 9.

Ferguson most recently served as the director of international programs at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. He has also worked at Bankers Trust in Des Moines, F&M Bank in Newton, the American Soybean Association, USDA Rural Development and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

"Steven will be a tremendous executive director, and brings with him significant skills gained in a variety of different financial and agricultural positions," said Branstad.

The Iowa Agricultural Development Authority was created by the Iowa General Assembly in 1980 to provide financial assistance to Iowa's grain and livestock producers.

# # #