FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, March 14, 2005

Taking It to the Streets, and Buses and Trains: Peace Corps Goes Beyond Traditional Advertising Borders

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14, 2005 – For the first time on a national scale, the Peace Corps is taking its campaign for recruiting volunteers beyond television, radio and print—to the great outdoors.

The award winning campaign, "Life is calling. How far will you go?" will soon begin to appear in a total of 27 markets around the country, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit, and Atlanta. In the Washington D.C. area, the new campaign will appear on Metrorail and Metrobus signs. The billboard and transit-size public service announcements will potentially reach thousands of riders each day.

Currently at a 29-year high in the number of Americans serving, the Peace Corps continues to look for ways to broaden its recruitment outreach to new markets and potential volunteers from all walks of life. The Peace Corps hopes that the new outdoor campaign, typically called out of home advertising, will continue to build awareness for Americans to serve overseas. To view the Peace Corps\' public service announcements, please click here.

As in the past, the Peace Corps continues to rely on donated media to promote recruitment opportunities through public service campaigns. The new initiative complements the Peace Corps\' current campaign, which has appeared in donated space in publications and on radio and television.

Since 1961, more than 178,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.

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