Western Peace Corps volunteers to speak at 'Then and Now' event March 1

To celebrate more than 50 years of service abroad, the Peace Corps will hold a “Peace Corps Then and Now” event at 7 p.m. March 1 in Viking Union Room 552 on the Western Washington University campus.

The Peace Corps recognizes the first week of March as Peace Corps Week to commemorate the signing of President John F. Kennedy’s executive order establishing the federal agency on March 1, 1961.

At the March 1 event on campus, six Peace Corps volunteers will share stories of service from the 1960s to the present. Western alumna Samantha Russell, currently serving in Fiji, will share her story via Skype. Other speakers include retired WWU Biology Professor Fred Rhoades (Togo), WWU Career Services Center counselor Susan Anderson (Lesotho), Huxley College of the Environment admissions adviser Kathryn Patrick (Thailand), Huxley masters graduate Laura Jimerson (Honduras, Liberia, Guyana) and current Western masters of education student Jeremy Anhalt (Honduras).

Peace Corps campus representative Jill MacIntyre Witt, who served in Morocco, will be at the event to share information about opportunities available with the Peace Corps, the benefits of serving with the agency and tips to guide potential volunteers through the application process.

Western has a strong legacy with the Peace Corps. Nearly 850 alumni have served with the agency since 1961; 73 alumni currently are serving overseas, ranking the university No. 2 in the nation among medium-sized universities.