By Vickie Sellers
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order (10924) of President John F. Kennedy and authorized by Congress the following September by the Peace Corps Act.
The official goal of the Peace Corps is to assist developing countries by providing skilled workers in fields such as education, health, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and community development. Volunteers are American citizens, typically with a college degree, who are assigned to specific projects in certain countries based on their qualifications and experience. Following three months of technical training, Peace Corps members are expected to serve at least two years in the host country, after which they may request an extension of service. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to respect local customs, learn the prevailing language, and live in comparable conditions.
In its inaugural year, the Peace Corps had 900 volunteers serving 16 countries, reaching its peak in 1966 with 15,556 volunteers in 52 countries. Following budget cuts in 1989, the number of volunteers declined to 5,100, though subsequent increases in funding led to renewed growth into the 21st century; by its 50th anniversary in 2011, there were over 8,500 volunteers serving in 77 countries. Since its inception, more than 240,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps and served in 142 countries.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND VOLUNTEER PROCESS
The application for the Peace Corps takes up to one hour, unless one talks to a recruiter. The applicant must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen and, according to a 2018 document, they should apply 6 to 9 months before they want to leave. They must go through an interview.
Applicants can apply to only one placement every year. Placements can be sorted through the Peace Corps six project sectors: Agriculture, Environment, Community Economic Development, Health, Education, and Youth in Development. Applicants may also narrow down their application of choice by country they want to serve in various regions of the world.
Peace Corps volunteers are expected to serve for 2 years in the foreign country, with 3 months of training before swearing in to service. This occurs in country with host country national trainers in language and assignment skills.
Prior to 2014, the application process took about a year.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
This day commemorates the patron saint of Wales, St. David, who was born in the sixth century at Henfynw, Cardigan.
St. David’s Day also celebrates the Welsh victory over the Saxons in 640. Legend has it that the clever Welsh farmers pinned leeks to their coats so they could recognize one another in the melee; the Saxons killed many of their own kind, not having such a sign to tell friend form foe.
Today, St. David’s symbol is the leek. In honor of St. David, plant a bulb of aromatic leek as soon as the ground can be worked. See our page on planting leeks.
An old adage suggests eating leeks all month to keep the doctor away all year!
March is named for the Roman god of war, Mars. Read all about the merry month of March!
Question of the Day
Pruning is the key. Make sure that you prune out all the old brown canes. Lop them off at ground level. Leave only six of the strongest green canes per 12 inches of running row, or nine canes per 18 inches. And don’t let plants grow outside an 18-inch-wide row. Mow down new unruly shoots, or you’ll end up with a jungle instead of neat rows. Learn more about growing raspberries.
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- Frederic Chopin (composer) –
- Glenn Miller (musician) –
- David Niven (actor) –
- Yitzhak Rabin (Israeli politician) –
- Harry Belafonte (singer, actor, and activist) –
- Robert Conrad (actor) –
- Roger Daltrey (lead singer for The Who) –
- Alan Thicke (actor) –
- Ron Howard (actor & director) –
- Tim Daly (actor) –
- George Eads (actor) –
- Chris Webber (basketball player) –
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar (actor) –
- Lupita Nyong’o (actress) –
Died
- Peter Barlow (mathematician) –
- The Earl of Minto (Canadian Governor General 1898-1904) –
- Gabriele d’Annunzio (Italian poet and novelist) –
- Jackie Coogan (actor) –
- Edwin Land (inventor) –
- Jack Wild (actor & singer) –
- Bonnie Franklin (actress) –
Events
- Salem Witch Trials began in Massachusetts with the conviction of West Indian slave, Tituba, for witchcraft–
- First U.S. Census authorized by Congress–
- Ohio became the 17th state of the union–
- Georgetown College (now University) chartered; had been established in 1789 as first Catholic college in the U.S.–
- Nebraska became the 37th state of the union–
- Congress created Yellowstone National Park, the nation’s first national park–
- The son of Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped–
- Canned goods rationed–
- Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! made its television debut–
- Joe Louis announced his first retirement–
- Klaus E.J. Fuchs, a British atomic scientist, found guilty of communicating information to the Soviets concerning atomic research–
- Several Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire in the U.S. House of Representatives, injuring five people–
- President Kennedy created Peace Corps–
- Ticker-tape parade in New York City for John Glenn and fellow astronauts–
- Russian spacecraft Venus 3, launched November 16, 1965, crashed on Venus, the first man-made object to reach another planet–
- Johnny Cash and June Carter were married–
- Mickey Mantle announced retirement–
- Seven former White House and Nixon campaign officials were indicted by a grand jury investigating the Watergate Incident–
Weather
- Bridge between Hanover, New Hampshire, and Norwich, Vermont, collapsed from heavy snow weight–
- Avalanche hit trains in Wellington, WA. 96 people died–
- Heavy, wet snow fell in a New York and New Jersey blizzard–
- Thirty-two degrees below zero F in Minneapolis, Minnesota–
- Norfolk, Virginia, received 13.7 inches of snow–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
