An Interview With Lane Bunkers

Born in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, CRS Guatemala Country Representative Lane Bunkers moved with his parents at a young age to Pipestone, Minnesota, the place he considers his hometown. The third of seven children born to devout Catholic parents, Lane recalls going to church every Sunday and that catechism was a must. Given Lane's extroverted nature and curiosity about the world around him, it was only natural that he opted to study Journalism at the University of Minnesota upon graduating from his small town's public high school. After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in 1985, Lane began a career in Advertising and Public Relations and worked as an Account Executive in both Minneapolis and Washington, DC. "After three years, I realized that I wanted something different; something much more adventurous. I wanted to travel. I wanted to see the world," he said.

At a crossroad in his life and career, Lane wondered how he could launch a career abroad with his only international experience being that of a backpack excursion through Europe. Like a true journalist, Lane started talking to people, prodding and digging up ways he could follow his dream. A common recommendation made by many people was to get some international experience — even as a volunteer — in order to gain some experience. Shortly thereafter, Lane signed up with one of the best-known international volunteer organizations, the Peace Corps, and was on his way to Costa Rica to work in a project of Rural Community Development. "Within weeks of arriving in Costa Rica in 1989, I knew I had found my vocation. I loved that experience."

Lane remained with the Peace Corps for a number of years after that, working a succession of volunteer and professional positions that took him to South America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caribbean. Nestled within those years is also a Masters degree in International Management from Thunderbird — The American Graduate School of International Management, which he completed in 1994.

In late 2000, the time for change had come, and Lane accepted a job with Catholic Relief Services. "I chose CRS because of its reputation for quality programming and its world wide presence. My career was really the motivating factor in accepting a job with CRS, with very little thought given to the organization's Catholic roots." However, he was pleasantly surprised by the Catholic Social Doctrine, and was able to recall many of the themes from his Catholic upbringing and apply them in this new context.

"I found it enlightening and a very pleasant surprise at the same time. I never would have thought that all that time spent in catechism classes as an adolescent in Minnesota, would come back to serve me in this way," said Bunkers.

As a country representative for CRS, Lane sees his main task as motivating and leading a very dedicated team in what they do. "The CRS program in Guatemala is fairly large and diverse. Our program portfolio allows us to impact peoples' lives in many different ways. My role in all of this is to help our national staff understand that and hopefully reach that potential."

One example of that is the HIV and AIDS programming of CRS Guatemala. "This disease remains largely misunderstood in this country, therefore causing great pain, discrimination, and tragedy to individuals and their families affected by the disease," explains Bunkers. "Together with our partners, we have the opportunity to really impact the lives of these individuals through a variety of interventions such as education programs, defending human rights, and providing a dignified and compassionate accompaniment process.”

On world issues, Lane feels that most of the problems we have in the world today are based on lack of understanding of other cultures. "It's one thing to feel sorrow or empathy for people who are suffering, but solidarity calls us to action. And a very good way to do that is to be physically present with those who are directly impacted," says Bunkers. During the recent flooding emergency in Guatemala, the actions taken by the CRS staff were based on that premise. From the start of the emergency, CRS was physically present in seven different geographic regions of the country; ready to assist their partners with whatever it was they needed done. "I was so very proud of the way our team responded," commented Bunkers. "Every member of our team reacted swiftly and compassionately to this tragedy."

According to Lane, donating to humanitarian causes is a very important first step and he hopes that people take the time to learn about the programs and causes to which they are donating. He sees this as an important role for CRS to play in the United States. "As world citizens, I believe we need to reflect on our own actions and understand how they play out in a larger setting. Donating to the relief efforts in Guatemala or Pakistan or New Orleans, is very important. But equally important is to understand how the crisis or emergency situation in each of those places came to be, and reflect on what each of us as an individual can do to keep it from happening again. That may lead to doing a little more reading about a specific topic, an appeal to your elected official in Washington, or simply organizing a talk in your community."

An example of this is currently playing out in Lane's hometown. "When I grew up in Pipestone 25 years ago, southwestern Minnesota was very homogenous and had very little ethnic diversity. Today that is changing as migrants from around the world are arriving in small, rural towns. We need to educate ourselves as to why this is happening and understand the motivations and causes behind this phenomena."