The National Peace Corps Association, the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is seeking to track down thousands of lost Peace Corps Volunteers in 2012.

“This New Year’s Eve, many of us will again hear the song ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ asking if old acquaintances should be forgotten,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, we think the answer is a resolute ‘no.’ Next year, we’re making a resolution to find as many as 10,000 of our old Peace Corps friends and add them to our list.”

Because key government records were lost during the Nixon era, no one has a complete list of the 200,000 Americans who volunteered for the Peace Corps since its founding in 1961. NPCA, a private nonprofit organization, has independently found roughly 100,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers over the years, but many remain lost.

To make the process easier, NPCA has set up a page on its website, www.peacecorpsconnect.org/findthe250k, which allows former Volunteers to submit their information. The page also has tools to spread the word via email, Facebook, or even Twitter.

NPCA added more than 3,900 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to its listings in 2011. Its goal is to identify an additional 10,000 RPCVs in 2012 and complete the database in full by 2016. “With all the holiday cards arriving in your mailbox, the end of the year is a great time to update your address book,” added Quigley. “NPCA is just trying to do the same thing with former Peace Corps Volunteers. If you know one, help us find them.”

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Peace Corps at The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala this Saturday, September 24, 2011.  Some 880 guests are expected to attend the event, which is sold out.

“During a week of 50th anniversary events, the Gala will truly be a night to remember,” said Kevin F. F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other members of the Peace Corps community, this will be a chance to reflect on the values of the program, share memories and just have a really good time.”

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Swaziland, will emcee the Gala.  American Idol’s Crystal Bowersox, a singer-songwriter, will be the headline performer. Crystal’s music speaks to the spirit of the Peace Corps through thought-provoking lyrics on the progress of the world and soulful, inspired rhythms.

Dr. Timothy Shriver, chief executive officer of Special Olympics and the son of the first director of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver, will present the 2011 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service to a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who has made a sustained and notable contribution to humanitarian causes at home or abroad, or is an innovative social entrepreneur whose actions will bring about significant long-term change.  The winner of the Global Community Project Competition will also be announced.

The gala will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Attendees are asked to wear formal evening wear or the dress of their home or host country.

All proceeds from this sold-out event are helping to fund the anniversary events that NPCA is hosting this week, which are free and open to the public. Supporters who cannot attend the Gala donated 30 tickets, allowing recently returned or serving Volunteers to attend.

“This year’s celebration will be one of the largest held to date in support of the Peace Corps,” Quigley added. “The Peace Corps community may never get a chance to attend an event as important and exciting as The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala.”

List of free events in September to celebrate the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary

Access NPCA’s 50th anniversary press kit

“This 50th anniversary year provided the ideal occasion to conduct a nationally representative survey assessing the impact of the Volunteer experience,” said Kevin F. F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association.  “This unprecedented survey provides remarkable confirmation that the Peace Corps Volunteer experience does indeed lead to a lifetime of service–service that improves communities both at home and abroad.”

In collaboration with Peter D. Hart Research Associates and America’s Promise Alliance, the survey reached more than 11,000 RPCVs representing the more than 200,000 who have served in 139 countries since the first Volunteers deployed in 1961.  Said John Bridgeland, Civic Enterprises CEO and co-author of the report, “This historic survey highlights the enormous role Peace Corps Volunteers have played in shaping our world and making our country more secure through shared service and a common understanding of other cultures.”

Key headlines from A Call to Peace:

1. Peace as the Overriding Purpose: The Peace Corps experience had a profound effect on fostering peace and understanding among Americans and people around the globe, with less effect in meeting the need for trained workers in those countries.  More than 80 percent said their service was effective in promoting a better understanding of Americans in the communities where they served and an almost equal number said their service helped promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Fifty-nine percent said their service was effective in helping other countries meet their need for trained workers.
2. A Transformative Experience: The Peace Corps experience is transformational for volunteers –- an experience they would recommend to their families; often changed the rest of their lives; and made them better citizens back home. Ninety percent of RPCVs rated their Peace Corps experience as excellent or very good and 98 percent would recommend the Peace Corps to their child, grandchild or other close family member.
3. Unfinished Business: President Kennedy said that the Peace Corps would be serious when 100,000 Americans served abroad every year yet today there are only 8,600 learning new languages, understanding other cultures and leading to a more informed U.S. foreign policy. To fulfill Kennedy and Shriver’s dream, the ServiceWorld coalition has been formed, with more than 300 colleges, employers, and nonprofits that have rallied around an agenda to send 100,000 Americans abroad annually through three channels: the Peace Corps, which the RPCVs surveyed want to see doubled, Volunteers for Prosperity that currently sends 43,000 highly skilled volunteers each year to work on urgent issues such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa; and new Global Service Fellowships that would tap up to 10,000 Americans for up to one year of service, with Members of Congress nominating outstanding individuals from their districts and states, much like they do for the military academies.

Former Senator Harris Wofford, one of the original architects of the Peace Corps and a co-author of this report, added “This survey adds strong new evidence of the great return on investment Peace Corps Volunteers have given in the last 50 years. On the Peace Corps’ 50^th anniversary and the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, the need for such international service is as great as it was half a century ago.”

This report was generously supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Case Foundation, the MCJ Amelior Foundation, AARP, the Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

To read the full report, please visit http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org and http://www.civicenterprises.net/. To take action in support of the Peace Corps and the ServiceWorld.org campaign to increase our international service to 100,000 volunteers, go to http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/advocacy/.

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About Civic Enterprises

Civic Enterprises is a public policy development firm that works to inform issues of importance to the nation. Created to enlist the private, public and nonprofit sectors to help address our Nation’s toughest problems, Civic Enterprises fashions new initiatives and strategies that achieve measurable results. For information about Civic Enterprises, please visit their website at www.civicenterprises.net.

Next week, the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, will host more than 1,300 Peace Corps community members from around the country for three days of advocacy and service in Washington, D.C.

“Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are an energetic and motivated bunch,” said Kevin F. F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “They couldn’t just come to Washington for a reunion without also getting politically engaged and lending a hand to some worthy charities–that’s why they joined the Peace Corps in the first place.”

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Peace Corps, NPCA will hold an orientation on Wednesday, Sept. 21, to coach supporters on how to tell their Peace Corps stories effectively and drive home the message that the Peace Corps is a program that delivers benefits not only around the world but also in the U.S. On Thursday, Sept. 22, for NPCA’s Advocacy Day, Volunteers will attend a morning kick-off event featuring Returned Peace Corps Volunteer members of Congress: Rep. Sam Farr (served in Colombia), Rep. Tom Petri (served in Somalia), and Rep. John Garamendi (served in Ethiopia). They will then meet directly with their Congressional representatives in small groups. This day marks 50 years to the day that Congress authorized the agency by passing the Peace Corps Act. And on Friday, Sept. 23, for NPCA’s Service Day, Volunteers will assist more than 25 nonprofit and private charities around the Washington area.

An annual tradition for NPCA, the advocacy and service days will be particularly memorable this year because it is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Peace Corps. A separate gala will be hosted by NPCA on Saturday, Sept. 24, to commemorate the anniversary.

“In past years, Peace Corps supporters have met with their members of Congress to talk about the program’s importance and discuss such hot-button issues as the annual appropriations budget,” added Quigley. “This year, we’ll be taking the longer view and talking about how Congress can help put the Peace Corps on a solid footing for the next 50 years as well.”

To learn more about NPCA’s advocacy and service days, go online to: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/resources/peace-corps-50th-anniversary/september-events

The National Peace Corps Association, the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, will hold an international panel discussion on Sept. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. Supported by the SEVEN Fund to honor of the Peace Corps’ 50^th anniversary, the panel will share views on how the Peace Corps community will continue to grow and strive for world peace and prosperity over the next 50 years. Over 1,600 members of the public and supporters of the Peace Corps are registered for this free event, which is now at capacity with a waiting list to attend.

“The Peace Corps in its very nature is an international program and so by bringing together distinguished leaders from around the world to discuss its future, we can better understand how the program will change and its impact over the next five decades, “ said Kevin F. F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “The golden anniversary year of the Peace Corps also is an opportune moment to recognize that some of the Peace Corps’ greatest impact is on those individuals with whom Volunteers worked, including these global leaders on the panel.”

A panel of thought leaders and global figures will discuss their experiences with the Peace Corps and share views on pressing topics with the community. Bill Moyers, first deputy director of the Peace Corps and a leading American journalist and public commentator, will moderate. Panelists include former President of Peru (2001-2006) Alejandro Toledo, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and founder of the American University of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar, and former finance minister and 2009 presidential candidate in Afghanistan Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.

A separate session will also feature competitive proposals for a global community project where a select group of pre-screened projects will be presented to the audience for review and questions. The audience will then vote for the most deserving project, which will be awarded with a $25,000 grant during The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala later that evening.

“While celebrating the last five decades of the Peace Corps is important, it’s equally crucial for us to consider its future and understand where it’s going and how to enhance its effectiveness,” added Quigley. “This panel will help us better understand that.”

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is inviting supporters to a gala this September to be held in the nation’s capital. Some 900 guests are expected to attend.

“As the biggest event of the 50th anniversary, the gala will truly be a night to remember,” said Kevin F.F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other members of the Peace Corps community, this will be a chance to reflect on the value of the program, share memories and just have a good time.”

The gala will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Attendees are asked to wear formal evening wear or the dress of their home or host country.

Tickets cost $250 per person for NPCA members or $300 per person for non-members. All proceeds will help fund the anniversary events that NPCA is hosting that week, which are free and open to the public. Supporters who cannot attend the gala can also donate a ticket to allow a recently returned or serving volunteer to attend.

“This year’s celebration will be one of the largest held to date in support of the Peace Corps,” Quigley added. “Supporters of the program may never get a chance to attend an event as important and exciting as the Promise of the Peace Corps Gala.

Purchase Tickets Online

List of free events in September to celebrate the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary

Access NPCA’s 50th anniversary press kit

The Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps community, announced today an Around the World Expo will be held in Santa Fe, N.M. on Thursday, July 7. The expo is one of nine regional events nationwide to highlight the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers and celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary and also serves as a kick-off event for the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, which begins the following day.

“Our goal is to highlight the accomplishments of the Peace Corps over the last 50 years while inspiring the next generation of volunteers,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association (Thailand, 1976-79). “These expos will be a way for people who have only heard about the Peace Corps to come see it up close.”

A collaborative effort between NPCA, the Peace Corps and local member groups, the expos provide an opportunity for the general public and RPCVs to celebrate the countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have served. Attendees will be able to hear firsthand from former Volunteers about their experiences and projects around the world. Peace Corps and NPCA staff members will be on hand to answer questions on various recruitment and education initiatives.

The expos are timed to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s creation of the Peace Corps in 1961. Free and open to the public, they are aimed at people interested in volunteering, teachers looking for new ways to engage students and RPCVs seeking to reconnect with former colleagues.

The expo in Santa Fe will be held on July 7 at 5 p.m. at Railyard Park at SW Paseo de Peralta and Guadalupe Street. Scheduled speakers include Kevin Quigley, president of NPCA and Erica Gannon, director of the Peace Corps regional office in Dallas.

“The anniversary expos provide an opportunity for everyone to get a hands-on experience through story-telling, workshops and demonstrations,” adds Quigley. “In essence, we’ll be bringing the world home to help inspire a new generation of volunteers.”

Learn more about the expos.

To learn more about the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, visit: http://www.folkartmarket.org.

Some of today’s top business leaders got their start as Peace Corps Volunteers, according to a new list compiled by the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community.

“The Peace Corps means business,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association and a former volunteer in Thailand. “Volunteers have to be self-sufficient and resourceful, work successfully across cultural boundaries and inspire others to join their cause. Those are all the hallmarks of a successful business leader as well.”

NPCA recently compiled a list of some of the former volunteers who have gone on to successful careers in the world of business:

• Tim McCollum and Brett Beach, founders of Madécasse (Madagascar 99-01).

• Edward Dolby, director, Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (India 1966-68).

• Frank Guzzetta, president of Ralph Lauren Home Collection (India 1968-72).

• Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix (Swaziland 1983-85).

• Thomas and Priscilla Wrubel, founders of the Nature Company (Liberia 1961-63).

In some cases, volunteers’ time overseas led directly to their professional careers. McCollum and Beach met while serving together in Madagascar, then went on to start a chocolate company that processes cocoa beans within the country. Madécasse was named one of 2011’s most innovative companies by Fast Company magazine.

By necessity, Peace Corps volunteers are entrepreneurial because they often work independently or in small groups in areas where there are limited resources and weak government services, forcing them to be creative and self-motivated in devising innovative solutions to problems.

“There is no doubt that the Peace Corps fosters social entrepreneurs,” adds Quigley. “Figuring out how to provide a remote village with drinkable water with limited resources is a challenge that has a lot more in common with running a shoestring Internet start up than you would think.”

To learn more about why Peace Corps matters, click here.

For a list of Returned Peace Corps Volunteer business leaders related to your beat, contact: Alison Beckwith at 301-699-0148 or email media@peacecorpsconnect.org.

The Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps community, announced today an Around the World Expo will be held in San Diego, Calif. on Saturday, June 11. This expo is one of nine regional events nationwide to highlight the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers and celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary.

“Our goal is to highlight the accomplishments of the Peace Corps over the last 50 years while inspiring the next generation of volunteers,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association (Thailand, 1976-79). “These expos will be a way for people who have only heard about the Peace Corps to come see it up close.”

A collaborative effort between NPCA, the Peace Corps and local member groups, the expos provide an opportunity for the general public and RPCVs to celebrate the countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have served. Attendees will be able to hear firsthand from former Volunteers about their experiences and projects around the world. Peace Corps and NPCA staff members will be on hand to answer questions on various recruitment and education initiatives.

The expos are timed to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s creation of the Peace Corps in 1961. Free and open to the public, they are aimed at people interested in volunteering and RPCVs seeking to reconnect with former colleagues.

The expo in San Diego will be held on June 11 starting at 11 a.m. at the Balboa Park Club at 2144 Pan American Road W. Scheduled speakers include Robert Robinson, regional manager, Peace Corps Regional Recruitment Office, Los Angeles, Calif.; NPCA President Kevin Quigley (Thailand 1976-1979) and Sharon Kennedy (Thailand 1989-1991), president, San Diego Peace Corps Association.

“The anniversary expos provide an opportunity for everyone to get a hands-on experience through story-telling and demonstrations,” adds Quigley. “In essence, we’ll be bringing the world home to help inspire a new generation of volunteers.”

To learn more about the expos, visit: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/resources/peace-corps-50th-anniversary/50thexpos/

The Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps community, announced today an Around the World Expo will be held in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, June 4.  This expo is one of nine regional events nationwide to highlight the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers and celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary.

“Our goal is to highlight the accomplishments of the Peace Corps over the last 50 years while inspiring the next generation of volunteers,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association (Thailand, 1976-79). “These expos will be a way for people who have only heard about the Peace Corps to come see it up close.”

A collaborative effort between NPCA, the Peace Corps and local member groups, the expos provide an opportunity for the general public and RPCVs to celebrate the countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have served. Attendees will be able to hear firsthand from former Volunteers about their experiences and projects around the world. Peace Corps and NPCA staff members will be on hand to lead workshops and answer questions on various recruitment and education initiatives.

The expos are timed to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s creation of the Peace Corps in 1961. Free and open to the public, they are aimed at people interested in volunteering, teachers looking for new ways to engage students and RPCVs seeking to reconnect with former colleagues.  One panel will feature RPCVs from the Sacramento area who continue to build on their Peace Corps experience in service to their own communities and around the world.

The expo in Sacramento will be held on June 4 at 2 p.m. at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Masonic Center at 6151 H Street.  Scheduled speakers include Janet Allen, regional manager, Regional Recruitment Office, San Francisco, Calif. (RPCV Sierra Leone 1981-1983); NPCA director of communications Erica Burman, (RPCV The Gambia 1987-1989); and Mark Stivers, president of the Sacramento Valley Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

“The anniversary expos provide an opportunity for everyone to get a hands-on experience through story-telling, workshops and demonstrations,” adds Quigley. “In essence, we’ll be bringing the world home to help inspire a new generation of volunteers.”

To learn more about the expos, visit this site.