[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEACE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 50th Anniversary of Peace 
Corps. Fifty years ago today, Congress passed legislation authorizing 
Peace Corps, and giving it the mandate to ``promote world peace and 
friendship.'' Since then, over 200,000 Americans--including myself--
have served our great country in the name of peace and friendship.
  I am so proud of the 18 Volunteers currently serving from my 
district. Among them are Tim and Chelsea Tibbs, a husband and wife from 
Santa Cruz who are serving in Guyana. Chelsea created a Youth Friendly 
Center at a local health clinic that has been highlighted by the 
Ministry of Health's Adolescent Unit as one of the best models for 
successful and targeted programs in the region. And Tim has been 
working with Guyana's Regional Education Office to develop and 
implement teacher training modules. But Tim and Chelsea are just a few 
examples of how the 8,655 current Peace Corps Volunteers serving in 
nearly 80 countries around the world are changing lives and creating 
hope.
  But Peace Corps also has a strong presence right here in the United 
States. In 1987, Peace Corps established the Peace Corps Masters 
International program, an innovative opportunity that enables students 
to combine a graduate education with Peace Corps service. In my 
district, the Monterey Institute for International Studies (MIIS) has 
76 PCMI students, making it the fourth largest PCMI program in the 
country! That's an incredible 10% of the MIIS student body that has 
dedicated their brains and their hearts to realizing America's 
commitment to peace.
  In honor of Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary, MIIS is hosting Monterey 
Institute and the Peace Corps: Celebrating 50 Years of Global 
Engagement on October 8th. I am honored to be a part of this inspiring 
day of panel discussion and movie showings that honor Peace Corps' 
legacy of service at MIIS.
  This is just one of many celebrations around the country and around 
the world in honor of Peace Corps' first 50 years of service. For a 
complete list of events, please visit http://events.peacecorps50.org/.
  I urge my colleagues to honor the past and present Peace Corps 
Volunteers in their districts, and I hope you will join me in 
celebrating America's 50-year legacy of service in the name of peace.

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