The Western North Carolina Returned Peace Corps Volunteers gathered on Sunday, June 6, in Carrier Park for a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps.
All Returned Peace Corps volunteers and their families were invited, as well as any individuals interested in the Peace Corps.
President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961 with the mission of building world peace and friendship. Since then, more than 240,000 volunteers have served in 143 countries. There are almost 350 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the Western North Carolina group. These volunteers range in time of service – from 1961 to 2020. They served in every aspect of PC – from education, to public health, disease prevention, agriculture, trade, technology, environmental protection, women’s economic empowerment, and community development.
The local group of returned volunteers gathers for socialization and community service projects such as river clean up and food packaging. They also raise funds for projects started by North Carolina volunteers in the countries where they serve, and for local organizations. As part of the anniversary celebration, the group will make donations to Manna Food Bank and to Literacy Together for their summer camp reading program.