PROCLAMATION

The Peace Corps started in 1961, after President John F. Kennedy floated the idea to a group of students on the campaign trail. The Corps became a reality only because those students believed in it—immediately signing a petition, writing letters, and committing themselves to service abroad for the cause of peace and development.

Since its inception, over 250,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in 144 countries—with Californians alone representing over 32,000 volunteers. The state itself holds close ties to the Corps. The University of California, Los Angeles served as one of the Corps’ first training sites in 1961; and all the University of California’s undergraduate campuses offer Peace Corps Prep, a program to help interested students develop skills that could improve their applications for the highly competitive Peace Corps.

Through their service, Peace Corps Volunteers build bonds of friendship and understanding between the people of the United States and those of other nations. Upon returning home, these volunteers demonstrate an enduring commitment to public and private sector service, sharing their experiences and skills to enrich communities across the state.

Twenty-five years after the Peace Corps was created, Director Sargent Shriver said: “The miracle is that decades of war, Presidential prevarication and disgrace, budget cutting, and the cynicism of power politics, still have not killed the dream nor staunched the flow of those willing to volunteer and serve.”

Today, 65 years after the Corps was created, that dream—of doing better for and by each other—is still alive and well, thriving in the volunteer ranks of the Peace Corps. The power of the Corps cannot be underestimated, nor should it be devalued: its mission of peace and partnership is so understood that thousands of volunteers can safely live abroad unprotected and unarmed.

The Corps inspires people across the country and has helped inspire California’s own Service Corps, including the Climate Action and Youth Service Corps, which harnesses that same desire to serve.

The Peace Corps is a reminder to all of us that there is hope for a brighter world, if we can find the courage to reach out our hand to another. This week, we honor the Peace Corps, and its ability to foster connections and contribute to meaningful change—in the United States and around the world.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim March 1 through March 7, 2026, as “Peace Corps Week.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 27th day of February 2026.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State