FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 30, 2001

Peace Corps Celebrates its 40th Anniversary in New York City

{'html': "New York, NY, May 30, 2001—Ambassadors from three continents will discuss the impact of Peace Corps around the world from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, May 31, at UNICEF's Henry Labouisse Hall, 3 United Nations Plaza on East 44th Street near First Avenue. The event—organized by the Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, and the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Greater New York—is to celebrate the agency's 40th anniversary. The New York celebration is one of many throughout the country as the agency embarks on its fifth decade.

United Nations representatives—Counselor Carlos Enrique Garcia González of El Salvador, Ambassador Nana Effah-Apenteng of Ghana and Ambassador Jargalsaikhany Enkhsaikhan of Mongolia—will speak about the cross-cultural understanding volunteers foster in their home countries and the contributions they make to the their countries' development.

Carol Bellamy, a returned volunteer (1963-65) and Executive Director of UNICEF, will give welcoming remarks. Kofi A. Boateng, a Ghanaian-born New Yorker taught by Peace Corps volunteers and President of the National Puerto Rican Forum Inc., will speak on how volunteers influenced his life.

Peace Corps Acting Director Charles R. Baquet, III, a returned volunteer and former ambassador, will contribute to the discussion. The moderator will be Dane F. Smith, Jr., president of the National Peace Corps Association, the private alumni organization of returned volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and friends.

Today, some 140 New Yorkers are Peace Corps volunteers serving in 49 countries. They are part of the more than 7,000 volunteers—the highest number since 1974—from across the nation currently serving in 77 countries, working to teach children, help start new businesses, and stop the spread of AIDS. More than 162,000 Americans, including some 4,000 New York City residents, have joined the Peace Corps and served in 135 nations since 1961, when President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order to create the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps service enables volunteers to educate their families and communities about other cultures and gives volunteers confidence and unique abilities to take on important endeavors after returning to the United States. Today, returned Peace Corps volunteers play a leading role in teaching America's children, shaping foreign policy, expanding and enriching the business sector and volunteering in local communities.



NOTES
* For more details on this 40th anniversary event or information on interesting Peace Corps volunteers from New York who have served since 1961 or are serving overseas now, please contact Elizabeth Kramer, Peace Corps Public Affairs Specialist, at (212) 637-6484 or [email protected].
* For more details on Peace Corps anniversary events or on volunteering, see the Peace Corps' Web site at www.peacecorps.gov or call 1-800-424-8580."}

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