Peace Corps volunteers celebrate 50 years of service
Published 12:01 am Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Ann Anderst of Snohomish reminds us that today is the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s signing of the executive order that created the Peace Corps.
Since then, more than 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 host countries, she says.
Celebrations
will continue throughout March and the remainder of 2011.
Anderst, executive director of Healing the Children’s Oregon and Western Washington chapter, says that 25 years ago, she had recently returned from West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer and had worked as a regional recruiter in the Seattle Peace Corps office serving a four-state region.
“Our office was hosting the 25 year anniversary of Peace Corps at the University of Washington,” Anderst says. “All was going well on that March 1, 1986 at the Student Union Building at the University of Washington as I spied a really nice looking guy across the room at the Jamaica Peace Corps booth. I told my co-workers that I was going to flirt with the guy at the Jamaica booth and off I went.
She married that guy on July 3, 1988.
“I always celebrate the “I spied Bill Day” on March 1.”
They moved to Snohomish County to raise their children 19 years ago.
“We have a daughter at Western Washington University who completes her (bachelor’s) in human services this spring and is in the final stages of her application to Peace Corps in August to work in youth and community development in mid-Asia. Our second born just returned from six months in Kenya.”
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Meadowdale High School students are signing up for “Rock ‘n’ Read Marathon” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at The Edmonds Bookshop, 111 Fifth Ave. S. in Edmonds.
“Our student readers, those who know the joy of being immersed in a great novel, were the first to sign up for this 55-hour marathon,” says Rita Ireland, Meadowdale librarian. “Our ASB leaders immediately signed up for the midnight hours.”
Edmonds Woodway High school students are also participating, the first ever joint project between the two schools.
Local coffee shops, such as Walnut’s, Red Twig and Tully’s are providing refreshments to keep the readers going. Businesses are donating for a street banner reading “For the Love of Reading.”
The project aims to inspire everyone to read.
The students are collecting gently read or new books for families that visit the food bank at Edmonds Methodist Church. Take children’s books to the marathon and drop them off in the boxes.
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Graham Kerr, culinary and TV personality, is making several appearances promoting his new book, “Growing at the Speed of Life.” He’ll speak at the Everett Public Schools Foundation Benefit Breakfast at 7:15 a.m. March 10 at Comcast Arena in Everett at 2000 Hewitt Ave. in Everett.
For more information, contact Kristie Dutton at kdutton@everettsd.org or 425-385-4695. The Foundation supports academic achievement in the Everett schools.
We were going to write that Kerr is galloping around promoting his book, but we changed our minds.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
