Long-Time FOC Member Pat Wand Wins 2019 Peace Corps Champion Award!

By Michael Band (CII-3 2011-2014) and Pat Wand (C-8 1963-1965) 

Each year the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. (RPCV/W) organization honors someone whose work has made a great impact on the Peace Corps and its community by presenting them with the Peace Corps Champion Award. The 2019 Peace Corps Champion was none other than long-time FOC member, Pat Wand! Upon accepting the award, Pat shared some of her thoughts about Peace Corps past and future,

“When PC started nearly 60 years ago, many people said it couldn’t succeed; it was a risky, dangerous undertaking for the U.S. to initiate a program with such simple yet profound ideals.

Now, nearly 60 years and 235,000 volunteers later, we are proving that it can work. In fact, it works so well that we NEED to make it more visible.

Now more than ever – here and abroad – we need Peace Corps values.

As Peace Corps Champions, we must turn up the flame. We need to shine our light more brightly, more widely.

We need to talk, write, shout about the Peace Corps ideals of human empowerment in sustainable peaceful communities.

Whenever we work to improve the lives of others, that work is service that makes a difference. And carries out Peace Corps values.

I urge you to do that service with the National Peace Corps Association or one of its affiliate groups like Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington DC, the Museum of PC Experience, country of service groups.

Do it in the name of Peace Corps values, open doors to talk about PC values.
Help spread the word.”