[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4906]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              NATIONAL PEACE CORPS DAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Peace Corps 
Day and recognize the Peace Corps for its stellar record of achievement 
throughout the past five decades. The Peace Corps has become an 
enduring symbol of our nation's commitment to encourage progress, 
create opportunity and expand development at the grass-roots level in 
the developing world.
  Since 1961, more than 168,000 Americans responded to our nation's 
call to serve by becoming Peace Corps Volunteers in 136 countries. 
There are currently 29 volunteers from my district alone who are 
deployed all over the world, from Kyrgystan to Guatemala.
  Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps Volunteers have made significant and lasting 
contributions around the world in agriculture, business development, 
education, health and the environment, and have dramatically improved 
the lives of individuals and communities around the world.
  Peace Corps Volunteers have strengthened the ties of friendship and 
understanding between the people of the United States and those of 
other countries for 42 years.
  President George W. Bush has issued a call to service for all 
Americans--both at home and abroad. The President seeks to double the 
number of Peace Corps Volunteers throughout the world, from the current 
level of 7,000 to 14,000 volunteers in FY07.
  Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps Volunteers, enriched by their experiences 
overseas, have brought their communities throughout the United States a 
deeper understanding of other cultures and traditions, thereby bringing 
a domestic dividend to our nation.
  National Peace Corps Day recognizes the work of returned Peace Corps 
Volunteers as they bring their experiences to work, school, places of 
worship and recreation, sharing with colleagues, friends and community 
members how their volunteer service changed and shaped their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, National Peace Corps Day honors its Volunteers, past and 
present, and reaffirms our country's commitment to helping people help 
themselves throughout the world. I would like to congratulate them for 
the tremendous, and far too often thankless, work they do to improve 
the human condition.

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