Floor Speeches

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the National Peace Corps Week that is celebrated from March 1 through March 7, 2010.
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to the early 1960s, when then Senator John F. Kennedy inspired Americans to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. The Peace Corps celebrated its 49th anniversary on March 1st.

As of September 30, 2009, 7,671 Peace Corps Volunteers are making significant and lasting contributions to improve the lives of individuals and communities in 76 countries. Since 1961, nearly 200,000 Volunteers have served in 139 countries around the world and in their local communities in the United States when they return home.
The Peace Corps has become an enduring symbol of our nation's commitment to encourage progress, create opportunity, and expand development at the grass-roots level in the developing world.  That is why I strongly support federal funding to ensure a strong and vibrant Peace Corps program.

Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has adapted and responded to the issues of the times. In an ever-changing world, Peace Corps Volunteers have met new challenges with innovation, creativity, determination, and compassion.

Peace Corps Volunteers work in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Middle East. Volunteers have made contributions around the world in agriculture, business development, information technology, education, health and HIV/AIDS, youth, and the environment.
Peace Corps Volunteers will arrive in Indonesia in spring 2010 and will work as English teachers in high schools and at teacher training institutions. In mid-2010, Peace Corps Volunteers will return to Sierra Leone after a 16-year absence. Volunteers will focus on secondary education and work with their host communities on grassroots initiatives and community development projects.

Peace Corps Volunteers have strengthened the ties of friendship and understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. Their work around the globe represents a legacy of service that has become a significant part of America's history and positive image abroad. Their desire to make a difference has improved the lives of millions of people around the world as well as here in the United States.

Peace Corps Volunteers provide hope and meaningful assistance to people affected by HIV/AIDS. The tireless efforts and dedication of Volunteers have made the Peace Corps a key partner in the global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Peace Corps Volunteers are uniquely suited to work in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention because they are trained in the local language, live and work in the communities where they serve, and know how to share information in a culturally appropriate way.

Peace Corps Response provides returned Peace Corps Volunteers the opportunity to serve again in rewarding, high-impact, short-term assignments. Since its inception in 1996, this program has sent more than 1,000 returned Volunteers into the field in over 40 countries. Peace Corps Response Volunteers are deployed to crisis situations such as disaster relief following natural catastrophes, as well as to nonemergency interventions such as HIV/AIDS awareness.

Through Peace Corps service, volunteers worldwide learn more than 250 languages and dialects, and they receive extensive cross-cultural training that enables them to function effectively at a professional level in different cultural settings. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are leaders in all sectors of our society.
My home state of Colorado is a very service-oriented state and its first lady, Ms. Jeannie Ritter, wife of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, was a Peace Corps volunteer who served in Tunisia in a center for the disabled.

My district, the Second Congressional District of Colorado, has a strong tradition of volunteerism and I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize in particular the great work of 38 constituents who are currently serving as Peace Corps Volunteers in countries like Togo, Costa Rica, Peru, Zambia, Honduras, Malawi and the Dominican Republic, among others. Thank you very much for your contributions to the people and communities of these nations and for serving as ambassadors of peace, hope and opportunity.

In addition, I am very proud that the University of Colorado at Boulder—our state's flagship higher education institution—ranks second in the nation among colleges and universities for the most alumni joining Peace Corps in 2009 with 95 active volunteers and continues its great tradition of national and international service. Historically, the University of Colorado at Boulder ranks 5th for most alumni Volunteers in America, with 2,206 alumni having served as Peace Corps Volunteers since 1961.

It is indeed fitting 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. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the National Peace Corps Week and the 49th anniversary of this wonderful program.