West Virginia Press Association
GERRARDSTOWN, W.Va. — This year marks the 64th anniversary of the Peace Corps and Peace Corps Day is celebrated annually on March 1st. Since its beginning, over 250,00 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 140 countries around the world. Over 722 of those volunteers have been from West Virginia. Since resuming operations after COVID, the Peace Corps is now in 61 countries with 7,300 volunteers. Currently, there are three volunteers serving from West Virginia.
Peace Corps Day honors all returned and current Peace Corps Volunteers. The Peace Corps was established by Executive Order on March 1, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and the Peace Corps Act was signed into law by the United States Congress later that year. The Peace Corps mission is “to promote world peace and friendship through international development and citizen diplomacy.” Overseas, Peace Corps Volunteers work in many areas such as education, agriculture, health, community economic development, and youth in development.
The Peace Corps has three goals: 1.) to help people in the host countries through promoting positive relationships, and assisting in economic growth, 2.) to promote a better understanding of Americans in those countries, and 3.) to increase American understanding of other countries and people when they return.
The Peace Corps makes our country stronger, safer, and more prosperous. Stronger by building positive relationships with foreign governments and their citizens. Safer through promoting development that reduces political turmoil. And more prosperous through increased beneficial trade relationships. After returning home, RPCVs continue to uphold the values of the Peace Corps to the benefit of the American people. Ninety-six percent serve their local communities, reflecting a life-long commitment to promoting peace and serving others.
RPCVs from all over the country are now living in West Virginia and have formed a West Virginia Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group dedicated to advancing the Peace Corps mission in West Virginia. Our group members served in the early 1960’s up until the present day. They served in Colombia, Poland, South Korea, Mali, Niger, Kiribati, Ghana, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Honduras to name a few. “Once you serve in the Peace Corps it becomes a very important part of who you are as a person, it helped to shape you as a person. Our group is made up of RPCVs from all over the country, who served in many different countries around the world, but we have one important connection, the Peace Corps,” said Meg Kinghorn, President of the group. “And, we are all dedicated to the goals of the Peace Corps in our communities.”
For more information on RPCVs in West Virginia contact https://forms.gle/oMgiWG3kVpaQZ7zH9.
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FEATURE IMAGE: Meg Kinghorn, Tarawa, Kiribati, 1989
