PAPCA volunteers sorting at Global Links (photo by Leah Thompson)
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers celebrated their organization’s 50th anniversary at Global Links on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Area Peace Corps Association (PAPCA) members ushered in 50 years of service by sorting and boxing medical supplies for Latin American countries, the needs of which are well-known by some volunteers. Kierstin served in Panama until 2005 and appreciates our work in the region.
“I worked with medicine as a Peace Corps Volunteer and saw what medical supplies meant to the people,” Kierstin said. “Now I’m packing them, so it’s full circle.”
Saturday was Kierstin’s first time with us, but some volunteers have prepared supplies once-a-month for many years. Bill, who returned from Paraguay in 1988, has watched us grow from the very beginning.
“I remember when even the Volunteer Coordinator was a volunteer,” Bill said. “Now [Global Links] is so organized and flows so well. We packed 40 boxes today!”
PAPCA will hold three events in Pittsburgh for the 50th anniversary: returned volunteers will share their experiences at the University of Pittsburgh tonight, Proclamation for Peace Corps Day at the Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday morning, and a panel discussion at Allegheny College on Wednesday afternoon. For more information about the events, visit the PAPCA Facebook page.
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