On the recordMarch 5, 2010
I rise today to commemorate National Peace Corps Week and to honor the thousands of Americans who serve as Peace Corps volunteers throughout the world. The Peace Corps was founded on the ideal that each of us has the responsibility to serve our country and leave our world in a better place than we found it. Peace Corps volunteers provide innovation, creativity, determination, and compassion in an ever-changing world, advancing U.S. interests and the global good. These volunteers exemplify the true meaning of service to a greater cause and contributing to the well-being of those in need around the world. Since the Peace Corps' founding in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, nearly 200,000 U.S. citizens have chosen to serve their country as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 countries around the world. Today, nearly 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers serve abroad in 76 different countries, providing critical education, expertise, and development assistance to the poor and impoverished across the globe. Their willingness to dedicate themselves toward the laudable goal of assisting those in need and strengthening the image of America makes them deserving of our respect and admiration.
