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Home , Peace Corps

June 19 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1996

Remarks on the 35th Anniversary of the Peace June 19, 1996

Thank you. Mandy, where are your family? port of , , Ted Stand up there. Let’s give them a hand. [Ap- Sorenson, and many others, he tapped an over- plause] Thank you very much. You did a good flowing reservoir of energy and idealism. Thou- job there. Thank you very much. sands of young people answered the call to serve To Sargent and Eunice Shriver, thank you at the vanguard of the . Among so much for the , for the Special the first was the Vice President’s beloved sister, Olympics, for everything you have done for Nancy Gore Hunger. They gave of themselves America and for the world. Senator Wofford, to help others around the world to become the thank you for the Peace Corps and for national best they could be and to bring to them the service and for everything that happened in be- message by the example of their lives that our tween. Thank you, , for proving Nation is a great country standing for great that there is life after the White House. [Laugh- ideals, a country that cares about human ter] To all the former volunteers who are here, progress everywhere in the world. to the distinguished Members of Congress, to The Peace Corps symbolized everything that Ambassador Spio-Garbrah, thank you, sir, we’re inspired my generation to service. It was based honored by your presence and by our friendship on a simple yet powerful idea, that none of with your country. us alone will ever be as strong as we can all The Peace Corps for 35 years has shown be if we’ll all work together. None of us can America at its best. In the summer of 1961, reach our fullest potential while others are left as has been said, there were 80 young Ameri- behind. Community counts, and every member cans standing where these Americans stand of our community matters at home and on this today. Wearing their Sunday best, they waited increasingly small planet we share. excitedly to meet President , and I un- Since 1961, as Mark said, more than 140,000 derstand they were chatting occasionally among Americans have served as Peace Corps volun- themselves in Twi, the language they would have teers. Today the Peace Corps’ towering task is to use more frequently as they moved along. just as vital as ever. I am very grateful for those [Laughter] More than half of them were pre- who serve today. And their mission is just as paring to leave for , about to launch one important today as it was 35 years ago. Even of the greatest experiments in service to human- as we meet, the Peace Corps is hard at work ity in all human history. They would live as in countries few could have imagined going to the people of Ghana lived and be active as a back in 1961. Indeed, the Peace Corps is hard part of the communities they served. They were at work today in countries that did not exist trained to teach, but they were going to learn in 1961. It has traced the rising tide of freedom and to bridge the gaps of development and cus- to meet new needs around the globe from Cen- tom with sturdy bonds of friendship and com- tral America to Central Europe to Central Asia, passion. sharing the skills of private enterprise in nations On that day, President Kennedy said, ‘‘The struggling to build a market economy, empow- future of the Peace Corps really rests with you. ering women, protecting the environment, and If you do well, then the Peace Corps will be always showing others the path to help them- developed, and more and more Americans will selves. go abroad, and we will find a greater and greater I’m proud to say that in April, after an ab- response to serving our country.’’ The men and sence of nearly 5 years, Peace Corps volunteers women of ‘‘Ghana I’’ did the President, the returned to to help the Haitian people Peace Corps, and America proud. I am very make the most of their hard-won freedom. Just grateful to all of you, and I’m glad to have a couple of days ago, the First Lady and I you back in the Rose Garden today, 35 years had the honor to welcome to the White House later. for a brief visit former President Aristide and When President Kennedy created the Peace his wife. And he talked in glowing terms about Corps 35 years ago with the extraordinary sup- the citizenship of the Americans who have come

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to help Haiti, from those who came in uniform, The Peace Corps is for all Americans who wish including 200 Haitian-Americans who could to serve. speak Creole to the people of Haiti, to the When I became President we challenged Peace Corps volunteers who labor there today. America to rekindle that spirit of service. I thank With the agreement that the Vice President Senator Wofford for working to support the cre- signed last December, as has already been said, ation of AmeriCorps in 1993, to give young peo- our Peace Corps volunteers will go this year ple a chance to serve their country here at to serve in for the first time. They home, and for doing more by running the Cor- must be so excited. So many others have gone poration for National Service today. Americans before them, but they can prove—they can now—in addition to the 140,000 who have prove—that South Africa can make its dreams worked in the Peace Corps, we’ve had 40,000 and its promise real. young Americans lifting their own lives by giving I’m also proud to announce the establishment comfort and support to dealing with problems of a Crisis Corps within the Peace Corps to here in the United States. help the relief community to cope with inter- Last month when I spoke at Penn State, I national emergencies. It will draw on the Peace asked our people to further spread the ethic Corps’ recent successful experience in helping of service throughout our Nation. I asked Amer- people affected by disasters, such as rebuilding ica’s institutions of higher education to use more homes in Antigua that were destroyed by Hurri- of their work-study money to promote commu- cane Luis and helping Rwandan refugees to nity service here at home. And I challenge every grow their own food. community to get our students to answer the The dedicated service of Peace Corps volun- call of service. With our help, a year from now teers does not end when their 2-year tour is we want service scholars to be honored at every over. Today, returned Peace Corps volunteers, high school graduation in America. We have to as has been said, are making a difference in take the spirit of the Peace Corps into the lives our administration, in the Cabinet, like Secretary of every young person in this country. Every Shalala, or those on Capitol Hill who have al- citizen needs to know that we give and we get, ready been introduced. And I want to thank that we grow by giving and serving. them all, Republicans and Democrats alike. I So let us always remember that the truest wish we had them up here explaining what the measure of the Peace Corps’ greatness has been role of their service in the Peace Corps was more than its impact on development. The real in animating their future careers in public serv- gift of the Peace Corps is the gift of the human ice. There are many leaders in journalism, in heart, pulsing with the spirit of civic responsi- business, in education, including many who are bility that is the core of America’s character. here today. Thousands of volunteers just serve It is forever an antidote to cynicism, a living in their communities today or offer their time challenge to intolerance, an enduring promise to teach schoolchildren about the world in which that the future can be better and that people they live, in which they, the volunteers, were can live richer lives if we have the faith and fortunate enough to explore at an earlier time strength and compassion and good sense to work in their lives. together. Their spirit of service is the spirit of America. Thank you all for making that live in our In that sense, it’s more than 35 years old; it’s country, and God bless you. as old as our country itself. And I can’t help but note that not all our 140,000 Peace Corps NOTE: The President spoke at 5:14 p.m. in the volunteers have been so young. They just had Rose Garden at the White House. In his remarks, to be young at heart, young in spirit, young he referred to Amanda Jackson, volunteer, and in imagination. And thank you, sir, for making Mark Gearan, Director, Peace Corps; R. Sargent me feel that I might have a future in the Peace Shriver, first Peace Corps Director, and his wife, Corps. [Laughter] I’m glad to see you. Thank Eunice, founder, Special Olympics; Ambassador you. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah of Ghana; Theodore C. We all remember the legendary mother of Sorenson, Special Counsel to President John F. former President Carter and her wonderful sto- Kennedy; and Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former ries of how the Peace Corps changed her life. President of Haiti, and his wife, Mildred.

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