Peace Corps Marks 50th Anniversary of Service to the World

The Peace Corps traces its origins to an impromptu campaign speech by then-Senator John F. Kennedy in which he challenged a gathering of students at the University of Michigan to contribute two years of their lives to helping people in the countries of the developing world.

• Presidential Proclamation--50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps
• Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Remarks for 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps
• The Peace Corps Today: Celebrating 50 years of Service Past, Present, and Future by Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Peace Corps Deputy Director I realized that perhaps part of our being there was really about fostering a belief in themselves, of teaching our girls that they had a better future, that they could own their own future, that they could dream of going to university, that they could dream of owning their own business, that they could dream of choosing their own partners in life, their marriage, identifying the number of children they wanted to have, and really being able to define their own future.