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National Peace Corps Association > News > Polyglot > The Global House Parties Have Begun – Celebrating 50 Years of Peace Corps
The Global House Parties Have Begun – Celebrating 50 Years of Peace Corps
By Molly Mattessich on Monday, February 28th, 2011
The Global House Parties to celebrate the “birthday” of the Peace Corps are off to a great start. Parties have been celebrated in Kabul, New York, and New Mexico, to name a few.
Over 740 parties will be happening all over the world on March 1, 2011 so thousands of current and returned Peace Corps Volunteers are joining in this moment in history.
Over the river and through the woods … RPCV’s overcome obstacles to get together.
Photo credit: James Hale, The Daily Times
A perfect Peace Corps script — day begins with no heat or hot water and another hour of shoveling last night’s snow — and all ends well with a congenial group representing Sierra Leone, Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria and Thailand – including one guest just back from humanitarian work in DRC and a last minute guest who tracked us down through old fashioned Directory Assistance and then crossed a river and three counties to be part of the celebration.
It is always a humbling and inspiring experience to be in the presence of folks who have given so much of themselves through Peace Corps and then through the rest of their lives. One guest just began volunteering in a NYC afterschool program through NPCA’s new partnership with NYSAN.
Thank you, NPCA for helping bring our community closer together and for providing this wonderful opportunity to celebrate Peace Corps’ 50th!
- Priscilla Stevens Goldfarb (Uganda ’67, USA1 – Katrina ’05), Garrison, NY
RPCV's gather in Northern NJ for a Global House Party dinner
The 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps was the inspiration to seek out RPCV’s who live in the NW region of New Jersey to get together. We met at Casa Maya restaurant in High Bridge, NJ.
It started with an event reminiscent of challenges faced while serving in the Peace Corps. A block away from the restaurant was a tractor trailer that the driver had tried to get under a railroad bridge that morning but got stuck, blocking everyone’s direct to the restaurant. It did not get cleared until early afternoon but, in typical Peace Corps fashion, all RPCVs found their way to the restaurant, one way or the other (alternate back alley routes or parked & walked). We did not however, roll up our sleeves and help get the truck unstuck as we would have done overseas!
Our lunch gathering was very enjoyable for all and the food was wonderful.
- Christie Pearson-Musa (Sierra Leone ’83), High Bridge, NJ
Photo credit: James Hale, The Daily Times.
Margaret Ambrosino (Mauritania ’05) hosted a Global House Party in Aztec, NM, and even her daughter got excited about the Peace Corps.
Pictured right, she is modeling one of the logo items for sale in the National Peace Corps Association store.
Global House Parties are still taking place all over the world, from Afghanistan to New Zealand.
You can find out if there is a Global House Party near you.
Had a splendid gathering of RPCVs from Brazil, Philipines, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Thailand and friends last evening here in Delaware, Ohio. Shared stories, scrapbooks, watched the youtube of Kennedy’s initial invitation speech from the University of Michigan’s campus….laughs and poignant moments. Happy Birthday PC!