[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6293]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO THE PEACE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAY GRANGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 2009

  Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, congratulations to the Peace Corps and 
Peace Corps Volunteers as we celebrate the Peace Corps's 48th 
anniversary on March 1, 2009. From its beginnings under President John 
F. Kennedy until now, the Peace Corps has become an enduring symbol of 
our nation's commitment to encourage progress, create opportunity, and 
expand development at the grassroots level in the developing world.
  As in all things, the strength of the Peace Corps is in its people--
its volunteers. Volunteers have made significant and lasting 
contributions around the world in agriculture, business development, 
education and health care.
  In fact, Danny and Shirley Sherrod from my district just retired from 
their careers and have volunteered to spend the next two years serving 
as Peace Corps Volunteers in Panama. Danny and Shirley said that their 
conversations with other volunteers made a huge impact on their lives, 
so they are using this new time out of retirement to volunteer. This is 
but one example of the selfless dedication that people like Danny and 
Shirley Sherrod of Fort Worth, TX, commit to bringing to the Peace 
Corps and to our world.
  Through Peace Corps service, volunteers worldwide learn more than 250 
languages and dialects, and they receive invaluable training that 
enables them to succeed in different cultural settings. Returning 
volunteers often use these skills and experiences to pursue careers in 
the Federal Government and in the Foreign Service.
  As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the 
State-Foreign Operations, I am proud that this Subcommittee provides 
the funding and the resources needed to continue the good work that the 
Peace Corps is doing around the world.
  This week, during the National Peace Corps Week, I rise to recognize 
the achievements of the Peace Corps and honor its Volunteers, past and 
present, and reaffirm our country's commitment to helping people help 
themselves throughout the world.

                          ____________________