The Peace Corps, initiated by President Kennedy in 1961 on the steps of the Michigan Union, came home yesterday to celebrate its 36th birthday.
With the free distribution of the new book "Peace Corps: The Great Adventure" and a reading of the book by Peace Corps volunteers last night at Espresso Royale Cafe, the organization recognized the importance of the University in the conception of the Peace Corps and its continuing success around the world.
"Throughout its history, the Peace Corps can trace much of its success to the energy and idealism of American college students," wrote Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan in his letter of congratulations to University President Lee Bollinger last month. "These colleges and universities are to be commended for producing students committed to making a difference, with a thirst for adventure and with the desire to experience a new culture in an ever-changing world."
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| MARGARET MYERS/Daily Ann Arbor resident Jefferson Wood listens to Peace Corps recruiter Brian Anderson read stories about volunteers' experiences last night at Espresso Royale Cafe on S. State Street. The event celebrated the 36th birthday of the group. |
"The volunteers here at Michigan run the gamut, from those who know what the Peace Corps is about and what they want to do to those who have no idea and just want to help out," said Sanderson, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and a School of Public Health graduate student.
Students at the reading said they were interested in the Peace Corps and the opportunities it offered.
"So many people get out of school and only think about money," said Kathleen Klock, a prospective volunteer and graduate of the University of Illinois. "I want to do something positive for people."
Brian Anderson, a Peace Corps recruitment representative, said students of all majors are welcome to volunteer. Anderson said students with certain backgrounds are a lock for acceptance, including those with degrees in business administration, math or science and primary education. A bachelor of arts in English also remains valuable to the Peace Corps, Anderson said.
"We always need English majors to teach high-school level English to those in other countries," said Anderson, who earned a bachelors degree in English from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the second-largest producer of Peace Corps volunteers.
Last night's reading featured former volunteers who read from "Peace Corp: The Great Adventure," a collection of essays detailing the Peace Corps experience from the volunteers' perspectives.
Jefferson Wood, a volunteer who served in Thailand, read an essay entitled "Cold Mornings" about a Peace Corps experience in Mongolia. Wood said he encourages all students to consider volunteering.
"If you even have an inkling of an interest, you should go," Wood said. "If it's even a consideration, you should join the Peace Corps."
The mission of the Peace Corps remains the same as it was 36 years ago.
"The Peace Corps exists to help other countries," Anderson said. "We only go to the countries that ask for us, and we teach them what they want to learn."
Anderson also said that the Peace Corps serves to bridge the gap between the United States and the rest of the world, and to increase cultural understanding and knowledge.
"The volunteers are out there to teach people in the developing world what Americans are really like," Anderson said, noting the influence of American entertainment and mass media overseas. "We're trying to be a good example of what Americans are."
11-07-97
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