[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING PEACE CORPS 43RD ANNIVERSARY AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF SAN 
                            MATEO VOLUNTEERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the Peace 
Corps' 43rd anniversary. Since 1961, over 170,000 Peace Corps 
volunteers in 137 countries have taught English as a second language in 
dimly lit classrooms, planted rice seedlings in water-covered fields, 
shared accounting practices with women cooperatives of local markets, 
conducted workshops under palm trees on the benefits of long-term 
nursing, and successfully accomplished many other worthy development 
projects.
  Among this legion of volunteers are seventeen residents of my 
district in San Mateo County, California. They are Corrine Basanez, 
Qamrul Bhuiyan, Martha Cheng, Sonya Chi, James Choy, Emily Doan, Joann 
Gaasland, Michael Henley, Jonathan Kahn, Angela Lee, Celina Lee, Andrew 
Lind, Eileen McCarthy, Michelle Pena, Doreen Peterson, Peter Rabover, 
and Shona Simpson. I applaud all of them for the dedication and 
commitment.
  Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps volunteers promote American values and world 
understanding, and, thus, are our country's best ambassadors in the 
villages and towns in which they live and work. Upon their return to 
the United States, Peace Corps volunteers share their experiences with 
family, friends, and the community at large, thereby exposing Main 
Streets across America to foreign cultures and customs. As a result, 
the Peace Corps experience enriches not only foreign countries, but 
also the volunteers and our nation. In fact, the State Department, 
USAID, and Congress have benefitted from the experiences of Returned 
Peace Corps volunteers within their ranks.
  Mr. Speaker, in the last session, Chairman Hyde and I, in 
collaboration with other Members, crafted the Peace Corps Expansion Act 
of 2003 to better equip the Peace Corps to recruit, train, and support 
current and future volunteers during the next four years. The Act also 
facilitates the work of Returned Peace Corps volunteers as they carry 
out the mission of the Peace Corps--helping people in developing 
countries meet basic needs, promoting understanding abroad of U.S. 
values and ideals, and promoting a better understanding by our citizens 
of other cultures and societies. Significantly, the Act also encourages 
greater diversity within the Peace Corps and among volunteers to ensure 
better that all the faces of America are reflected in the faces of 
Peace Corps volunteers and staff, as the agency seeks to double the 
number of volunteers by 2007. I am pleased to say that this House 
passed the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2003 with overwhelming 
bipartisan support.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want again to salute the many thousands of 
Peace Corps volunteers across the globe who are currently serving their 
country and the many more who have returned home to continue 
contributing to their communities. They are the reason for National 
Peace Corps Week.

                          ____________________