Press Release: National Peace Corps Association Names Winner of “My Piece of the Peace Corps” YouTube Contest

Washington, DC — October 28th, 2010 — [Updated November 4, 2010]

Submissions capture the essence of volunteer program for 50th anniversary

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, announced today the winners of the hard-fought YouTube contest, “My Piece of the Peace Corps.”

Carrie Pavlik of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, won first place for her video, “My Piece of the Peace Corps,” and will receive a $2,500 cash prize. The video features scenes from her Peace Corps service in Zambia, and subsequent work in urban farming.

Judged by NPCA staff and board members, both the winning video along with the runners-up will be featured on NPCA’s website and used to help commemorate the Peace Corps’ five decades of service. The judges named John Garvey, a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Burkina Faso as second place who will receive a $1,000 cash prize for his light-hearted video, “A Peace Corps Song.” Matthew Hardwick, a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Vanuatu, came in third place and will win a $500 cash prize for his rap video, “Leaving Home (Vanuatu).”

Participants submitted their videos for consideration on the popular video-sharing website YouTube between July 1 and Sept. 30. The final winners were selected in time to help generate awareness of the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary celebration, which recently kicked off at the University of Michigan, site of President John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech proposing the Peace Corps.

“The videos were as diverse and fun to watch as anything on YouTube—everything from the camera work to the songs to the storytelling,” said Erica Burman, director of communications for the National Peace Corps Association and a former Volunteer in The Gambia. “Still, despite their differences, they all showed the profound effect the Peace Corps has on Volunteers and the people around them.”

View all of the contest entries on the NPCA’s My Piece of the Peace Corps YouTube playlist.

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About the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization connecting and championing Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community. It provides service and education opportunities that build on the Peace Corps experience, and is also the longest-standing advocate for an independent and robust Peace Corps. To learn more, visit: www.peacecorpsconnect.org

Media contact:
Erica Burman
Director of Communications
Phone: 202-293-7728

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