FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, November 10, 1997

Mrs. Clinton to Deliver Winter Clothes to Kyrgyz Orphans, Thanks to Peace Corps Volunteers and Parents

{'html': "Washington, D.C., November 10, 1997—On her trip to Central Asia this week, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver winter clothes to orphanages in Kyrgyzstan where Peace Corps volunteers work. One volunteer, Katie Joley of Fort Wayne, Indiana, enlisted her mother Jean's assistance as director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Allen County, Indiana. Not only did RSVP rise to the occasion, Jean Joley coordinated the collection of clothes in a number of other states with other parents of Kyrgyzstan Peace Corps volunteers. Upon learning that Mrs. Clinton would travel on Nov. 12 to this small Central Asian country, Jean Joley contacted the White House to request that Mrs. Clinton transport the items. With Mrs. Clinton's agreement and the State Department's assistance in shipping the clothes, donations have mounted. In addition to Jean Joley's efforts in Indiana, the families of Peace Corps volunteers in Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Washington, Colorado, and North Carolina have joined the effort, collecting thousands of winter coats, boots, shoes, home made hats, mittens and teddy bears. Winters are brutal in this small country located in the Tein Chen mountains of Central Asia, and the clothing items are desperately needed. Currently, there are about 79 Peace Corps volunteers in Kyrgyzstan, part of more than 6,600 Peace Corps volunteers working in 87 countries around the world in the areas of business, the environment, education, health and nutrition. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.
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