Peace Corps celebrate 50th year in SVG with Exhibition

On March 1, 1961, John F. Kennedy, then President of the United States of America, signed an executive order to officially start the Peace Corps.{{more}}

And last Friday, April 15, 2011, Peace Corps volunteers observed the 50th anniversary of the formation of the organization by showcasing some of the various activities that volunteers are involved in throughout St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Of the 50 years that the Peace Corps has been in existence, 44 of those have been spent serving the people of this country.

The one-day exhibition was staged at the Peace Memorial Hal,l and according to volunteer Julie Mills, each of the booths displayed the different areas in which Peace Corps volunteers work.

They included exhibits from literacy, art, community and HIV/AIDS awareness projects.

“Our volunteers get involved in a variety of areas, with the aim of assisting groups,” Mills explained.

Sarah Smith, Peace Corps volunteer based in Layou, told SEARCHLIGHT that she believed the most important thing about the organization is that change can come through relationships.

“The Peace Corps has demonstrated over the 44 years of being here in St Vincent that we have the opportunity as humans to interact and to learn from each other,” Smith said, adding that the exhibition represents the passion of the volunteers and the appreciation they have to be given the opportunity to share their passion with Vincentians.

She said that she enjoys the community spirit in the community where she works.

Smith said that she is no stranger to service, having spent time in Guatemala and Ecuador, but she says the experience of living in a community where you are dependent on the relationships with the locals is what makes what she does here special.

“Today’s activity not only brings together the broad spectrum of the things the Peace Corps volunteers are doing, but also the thing that makes our hearts tick,” she explained. (DD)