Miami Dade Community College hosts Peace Corps Send Off
MDC TO HOST PEACE CORPS "SEND OFF" CELEBRATION
MIAMI, January 15, 2004 – As a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia, Miami Dade College graduate Joel Fleischer had no running water, no electricity, and had to catch his drinking water in large, wooden barrels when it rained.
These were minor inconveniences to Fleischer, though, whose three-year adventure as a volunteer had him training teachers in a small village and developing curriculum for local schools.
"So much of what I learned in the Peace Corps is directly applicable to what I do today," said Fleischer, who returned from his volunteer tour in 1973 to become a professor of education at MDC.
"People come away from the Peace Corp changed individuals, my experience was wonderful," he said.
On Thursday, January 29th, Miami Dade College, The Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association will recognize more than 50 Peace Corps trainees and send them off for their humanitarian assignments in the Eastern Caribbean during a celebration at MDC’s InterAmerican Campus located at 627 SW 27th Street in Miami at, Room 3101, at 7:00 pm.
The event, which comes as the Peace Corps unveils an ambitious plan to expand its recruitment activities to the nation’s community colleges, will feature addresses by Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez, President of the National Peace Corps Association Kevin Quigley and President of the InterAmerican Campus Dr. Nora Hendrix.
The Peace Corps recently completed a comprehensive plan aimed at increasing the number of community college graduates in the Peace Corps. With more than 160 thousand students, Miami Dade College has the largest student enrollment among institutions of higher learning in the United States.
"We recognize the talents and the wealth of experience community college graduates offer and look forward to more graduates contributing to the Peace Crops legacy overseas," said Peace Corps Southeast Regional Manager Dr. John Eaves.
The 54 Peace Corps trainees, among them a young woman from Opa Locka, will be formally recognized by Director Vasquez and the National Peace Corps Association. The trainees depart for the Eastern Caribbean on Friday, January 30. They will receive three months of technical, safety, security and language training prior to beginning work on their volunteer projects.
"Miami Dade College is proud to send off these dedicated and giving individuals. We hope their example of voluntarism will inspire our graduates to use their skills and education to help others in foreign countries, fulfilling the promise of the Peace Corps," said Dr. Nora Hendrix, President of the InterAmerican Campus.
The Peace Corps, founded by President John F. Kennedy 42 years ago, is looking to fill more than 5,000 positions in specialized fields such as business, education, environmental conservation, agriculture, health, community development, and information technology. Assignments are available in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific, central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
The agency offers volunteers international experience, living expenses, language training, medical and dental care, possible student loan deferment or cancellation, and a $6,075 readjustment allowance.
Since 1961, more than 168,000 Americans have returned from Peace Corps Service.
WHAT: Peace Corps "Send Off" Celebration
WHERE: Miami Dade College, InterAmerican Campus, 627 SW 27 Ave., Room 3101.
WHEN: Thursday, January 29th, 2004 at 7:00 pm.
MEDIA CONTACT: Monica R. Hatcher (305) 237-3081
