Haley Stevens: “this week we mark the 47th anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps and I ask the Senate to recognize the men and women who…”

“this week we mark the 47th anniversary of the U.S. Peace Corps and I ask the Senate to recognize the men and women who represent the best of America and volunteer to serve those less fortunate around the world. Since its inception in 1961, 190,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries. You may be aware our colleague Senator Dodd served in the Dominican Republic in 1968. My good friend and associate in law practice, Jack Roderick, took his family to India to serve as the Peace Corps regional director in 1967 and 1968. Jack tells me that, like many volunteers, he feels he got more out his experience than he could have ever given. His two daughters were 11 and 13 at the time and they attended Indian schools and learned to speak Hindi. The experience changed their lives. The 1,000 volunteers Jack worked with in India faced many health risks due to the difficult living conditions. But they were committed to the mission of the Peace Corps and worked with the people of India to improve the country's agricultural production. Today, 36 Peace Corps volunteers from Alaska are working in countries around the world including Mongolia, Uganda, Ecuador, Romania and Cambodia. They work directly with the people of these countries and help improve education and develop small businesses. They work with small farmers to increase food production and teach environmental conservation practices. They fight malnutrition and help provide safe drinking water.”