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n Oct. 14, 1960 at the pre-daw n hour of 2 A delivered an im .M., then-Sen promptu cam ator John F. K paign speech ennedy University of , ch allenging stud Michigan to d en ts at the edicate two ye developing co ars of their liv untries. Addre es to helping ssing thousan “How many of people in ds of cheerin you, who are g students, Ken going to be d Technicians or n ed oc y asked, to rs, are willing engineers, how to spend your m an y d ay of spend your liv s in Ghana? you are willin es traveling ar g to work in th ound the wor e Fo re ig n Se rvice and ld?” His call to acti on soon took root. On March tion, Presiden 1, 1961, within t Kennedy esta weeks of his in blished the Pe in-law, R. Sarg ac augurae Corps on a pilo ent Shriver, as t b as is it , s n am fi rs in t d g ir his brotherously basic an ector. The Peac d profound: to e Corps’ core mission was si promote peace volunteers for multaneand friendship countries requ around the w esting assistan or ld by p ro ce viding . For many, the prospect of se rving others ov few months th erseas was ca e agency had ptivating. Wit received abou 1961, the first hin the first t 11 ,0 00 completed ap group of 51 vo plications. On lunteers arrive August 30, d in Ghana to During the la serve as teach st five decades er s. , more than 20 Corps, workin 0,000 Americ g in 139 coun ans have join tr ie s to d ate. Southern ed the Peace with at least 66 alumni are in having volunt cluded in this eered. United lot who brough select group, in their comm t vastly differe itment to serv nt skills to th ic e, they are a d eir highly uniq iverse Consider spec ue Peace Corp ial education s’ assignments. m ajor, Judith A. dren, fulfilled Harper, ’76, w a long-held d ho, after raisin esire to travel school teacher to g her chilA fr ic a. From 2004-0 s at a governm 8, she taught ent college in el em the Republic entary In contrast, M of Namibia. inette Junkin s, ’93, joined th worked in Cos e Peace Corps ta Rica as a ch soon after grad ild developm of idealism an uation and en t vo lunteer from d a longing fo 1994 to 1996. r adventure, I “H Junkins. “The av ing a sense looked into se Peace Corps fi veral public se t exactly what rv ic e p ro je cts,” says I was looking In honor of th for.” e Peace Corps’ 50th anniversa other Souther ry, Harper, Ju n alumni shar nkins, and a n ed p h ot og raphs and wri organization umber of — helping ot tten memorie hers and mak s of their tim e ing friends ar with the ound the wor ld. n
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