[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E397-E398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         NATIONAL PEACE CORPS WEEK/PEACE CORPS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARBARA LEE-

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 2, 2011

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the 
opportunity to honor the Peace Corps during this National Peace Corps 
Week.
  I would also like to thank Congressman Garamendi, a returned Peace 
Corps volunteer himself, for his leadership in organizing this special 
order on this historic occasion.
  Today, March 1, 2011 the Peace Corps celebrates its 50th anniversary. 
It is with the historic contributions of this organization in mind, 
that I proudly acknowledge the important work of more than two hundred 
thousand Peace Corps volunteers since the agency's inception in 1961.
  It is not surprising that year in and year out Americans are eager to 
do even more. While more than 13,000 Americans apply annually to serve 
their country in Peace Corps, serious budget constraints provide 
placements for roughly 30 percent of applicants.
  President Obama has rightly called for doubling the size of the Peace 
Corps in order to meet this demand, as well as the overwhelming need 
for additional volunteers around the globe.
  This is a pledge that we must keep.
  I am proud to report that California has been and continues to be the 
largest producer of Peace Corps volunteers with more than 1,100 people 
currently serving abroad.
  My home District, California's 9th Congressional District, can be 
called home by more than 20 current volunteers who have committed 
themselves to the Peace Corps mission of world peace and friendship 
through service.
  The University of California, Berkeley located in my district has 
consistently received top or near top honors for producing the most 
Peace Corps Volunteers, producing 92 volunteers in 2010 alone.
  In fact, UC Berkeley has contributed over 3,400 volunteers to the 
Peace Corps Program since 1961.

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  Through volunteer work abroad in fields including health education, 
food security, local business development, education about HIV/AIDS, 
and agricultural and environmental improvement, the work of the Peace 
Corps improves people's lives.
  At the same time, this vital work enhances the credibility of the 
United States abroad, fostering the exchange of ideas, and uniting 
cultures around values of peace, tolerance, and prosperity.
  That is why I have introduced H.R. 384, The Peace Stamp for the Peace 
Corps Act, which calls for the introduction of a semi-postal Peace 
Stamp, which will sell at a slightly higher rate than the normal 44 
cents, in order to create additional revenues for the Peace Corps.
  What better time to celebrate the legacy and significance of this 
great organization with a semi-postal stamp than on the occasion of the 
Peace Corps' historic 50th anniversary.
  I encourage my colleagues to join as co-sponsors of H.R. 384, which 
most importantly, would generate additional resources for the work of 
the Peace Corps through the generous support of the American people.
  There is no denying the impact of U.S. foreign assistance programs 
around the world, and the Peace Corps is a perfect example of our 
nation's will to promote peaceful relations, the exchange of ideas, and 
to assist and empower those who are most in need.
  Before I finish, it should be noted that the Peace Corps enjoys 
bipartisan support in Congress, not the least of which from our four 
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers currently serving in the House: Reps. 
Garamendi, Farr, Petri, and Honda.
  I would also like to take a moment to recognize a man who embodied 
the Peace Corps' mission of `peace and friendship through service', and 
that is Sargent Shriver.
  Mr. Shriver, who passed away this January, was a true public servant 
who dedicated his life to promoting justice and creating opportunity 
not only in America but throughout the world.
  In his work and personal life, and most notably as the first Director 
of the Peace Corps, Mr. Shriver's dedication to this cause has come to 
define generations of U.S. volunteers working at home and abroad for 
the betterment of society through the offering of a steady, helping 
hand.
  During National Peace Corps Week we salute past and present 
Volunteers who selflessly serve abroad in support of the Peace Corps' 
vital mission.
  Today we say happy 50th anniversary to the Peace Corps, and should 
similarly rededicate ourselves to supporting and strengthening the 
Peace Corps program for ours and future generations.

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