Kay Dixon: On the Peace Corps’ anniversary, a call for funding

By Kay Dixon

Sept. 22, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Peace Corps Act, fulfilling a campaign promise made to motivated citizens ready to serve their country in a new and different way.

Now, 63 years and more than 240,000 volunteers later, a new generation of Americans has the opportunity to answer the call to service. As was the case at its inception, our nation, the world, and the Peace Corps confront another inflection point.

Since 1961, the state of Washington has sent 10,013 volunteers to the Peace Corps. In 2023, there were 64 volunteers from this state, and 19 from Idaho.

More than 200 returned Peace Corps volunteers reside in the Inland Northwest. These folks continue to serve our community as teachers, social workers, mental health workers, college professors, attorneys, as well as in the private sector. Some work in the arts community and many volunteer with multiple local organizations. In short, we make contributions throughout our community. Annually, the Inland Northwest Peace Corps Association donates funds to local charities.

The current call to Peace Corps service comes in the aftermath of a global pandemic which claimed the lives of more than 7 million people. Climate change has caused increased heat waves, droughts, wildfires and hurricanes that have impacted communities worldwide. One year ago, the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organization reported the number of children worldwide who are not in school was on the rise, and had reached 250 million. Meanwhile, all across the globe, there is growing concern about division and disillusion, with threats to democratic values, individual rights, and self-determination.

The demand for Peace Corps volunteers is significant. With programs in nearly 60 countries, the geographic distribution of volunteers has returned to pre-pandemic levels. At least a dozen other countries are requesting volunteers. At the same time, the roughly 2,600 serving volunteers is just more than one-third of the more than 7,000 who were serving before the pandemic.

In a culture dominated by what’s new and trending, it goes without saying that the Peace Corps is no longer the shiny, exciting new program. While the luster of newness may have faded, the principles and purpose behind the Peace Corps remain true and essential: Citizen volunteers work with counterparts on various educational, health, and development programs, while living in communities, learning and sharing experiences, and developing bonds of friendship that last a lifetime.

As a young person just graduated from college, I served in Colombia, living and working in a city slum. The Colombian people were generous of spirit and kindness, striving to overcome the poverty they lived in caused only by the location of their birthplace. While Colombia has experienced multiple problems of violence and civil discourse, in the three times I have returned to Colombia, the Colombian people continue to embrace our culture and the values of the United States.

It is time again for the torch of Peace Corps service to be passed to a “new generation” of people – regardless of age – who wish to serve a cause greater than oneself.

Now, the current generation of lawmakers must stand up and fully support the Peace Corps programs.

For the past decade, the Peace Corps budget has experienced a 20% decrease in purchasing power when adjusted for inflation. Current Peace Corps funding stands at $430 million. Barely a blip in the federal budget’s trillions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act languishes, preventing the implementation of a number of provisions to improve the health and safety of volunteers.

Our Washington State Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have always been strong supporters of Peace Corps initiatives. Now we need their support more than ever.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers usually supports Peace Corps., but her replacement must work to ensure we go forth with the best possible Peace Corps.

Throughout history, the American spirit has overcome each generational crisis with resilience and renewed strength.

Today, the challenges we confront are great. Service to others remains a step toward positive progress.

To quote Maya Angelou, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Kay Dixon, of Spokane, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, 1962-64.