[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 9 (Monday, March 5, 2001)]
[Pages 372-373]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7410--Fortieth Anniversary of the Peace Corps

 February 28, 2001

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    The generous spirit of the American people has given this country a 
great and long-standing tradition of voluntary service. During the past 
four decades, the members of the Peace Corps have carried on that 
tradition with dramatic and far-reaching effect.
    Established in 1961, the Peace Corps has brought a wealth of 
practical assistance to individuals and communities through out the 
world. Since its inception, more than 161,000 Americans have served as 
Peace Corps volunteers in 134 countries. Peace Corps volunteers have not 
only helped to fill immediate and dire human needs, but also have helped 
promote sustainable, long-term development in agriculture, business, 
education, urban development, health care, and the environment.
    In many countries of the world, there exists an intense hunger for 
peace, hope, and opportunity--for genuine social and economic 
development that is rooted in respect for human rights and a belief in 
human potential. Recognizing the dignity and worth of all peoples and 
determined to help individuals help themselves, Peace Corps volunteers 
have served as our Nation's emissaries of hope and goodwill. 
Accordingly, their generous efforts have helped to foster mutual 
understanding and respect between the people of the United States and 
citizens of other countries.
    Respected for its work around the world, the Peace Corps also 
conducts a number of valuable programs here at home. For example, 
through programs such as the Paul Coverdell World Wise Schools and Peace 
Corps Fellows/USA, Peace Corps volunteers are helping children in every 
State of our Nation to learn more about the world in which we live.
    I am pleased to note that the current volunteer corps is the most 
ethnically diverse in Peace Corps history and that more and more 
Americans are joining in the work of the Peace Corps through its growing 
partnerships with the public and private sectors. These trends are a 
tribute to the many past achievements of the Peace Corps, and they are a 
promising sign of more to come.
     Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush,  President of the United States 
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 
and laws of the United States, do hereby urge all Americans to observe 
March 1, 2001--the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps--with appropriate 
programs, ceremonies, and activities designed to honor Peace Corps 
volunteers, past and present, for their many contributions to our

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country and to the universal cause of peace and human progress.
     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth 
day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fifth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:47 a.m., March 5, 
2001]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
March 6.