[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING PEACE CORPS DAY 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2002

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to your 
attention that tomorrow, Friday, March 1, 2002, is Peace Corps Day. 
Tomorrow throughout the country, former volunteers will bring their 
experiences to work, school, places of worship and recreation. They 
will share with their colleagues, friends and community members the 
story of their years as volunteers and how it changed and shaped their 
lives. Since 1961, more than 163,000 volunteers have served in 135 
countries and, in so doing, have served their country and the cause of 
peace and friendship across the globe.
  This year, former volunteers will also be carrying with them the 
message of the President of the United States--that the Peace Corps is 
more important and relevant in the world today than it has ever been. I 
applaud the President's initiative to double the number of Peace Corps 
volunteers to 14,000 by the year 2007, and to bring Americans to parts 
of the globe where volunteers have yet to serve--parts of the globe 
that Americans need to know more about, and which need to know more 
about Americans.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, every day is Peace Corps day for me. My 
experience as a volunteer in Colombia is one that I draw upon and share 
with everyone I meet. Tomorrow will be no different.
  I urge all Members of Congress, whether they were volunteers or not, 
to honor the Peace Corps tomorrow, and to share the spirit of 
volunteerism and international peace with everyone they come in contact 
with that day.

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