(Portland, Ore.) October 14, 2010 – The Peace Corps was the last option on Ally Packer’s list when she considered her post-college plans.  She knew she wanted to serve and to live abroad, but she was daunted by the two-year commitment.

Then, she sought out returned volunteers and found a trend she couldn’t ignore.  One by one, they called it the most transformative experience of their lives.  They praised the training they received and the language skills they learned.  Packer was hooked.

Now a post-baccalaureate PSU student, Packer hopes to help others make that connection at PSU’s “A Call to Service Continues: Celebrating 50 Years of Peace Corps” on Oct. 16.

This free, daylong conference to help commemorate the 50^th anniversary will offer information for interested applicants, tips on how to market the Peace Corps experience to potential employers and how to volunteer again locally or overseas.

As the U.S. economy continues to struggle with high unemployment, Peace Corps is one of the few options that is expanding. President Obama approved a 10 percent increase to $446 million in the organization’s 2011 budget.

In 2009, Peace Corps received more than 15,000 applications nationwide, an 18 percent jump.  Packer said the number of applications at PSU last year held steady. PSU nominated 42 candidates.

Historically, PSU has graduated 662 Peace Corps volunteers. It currently has 32 alumni in the field.  Oregon is the 14^th largest producer of volunteers nationwide.

Fifty years ago, John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to dedicate their time to peace and service. Today, more than 7,600 volunteers work in 77 countries in the Peace Corps.

The Saturday event will culminate with a fundraiser dinner hosted by the Columbia River Peace Corps Association and the Oregon Historical Society.  The dinner is designed to help fund the audio-visual component of the historical society's exhibit, Peace Corps: 50 Years of Service. The exhibit, which opens March 1 on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s executive order establishing the Peace Corps, will run at least three months.  Money raised also will go to the Columbia River group’s grant fund, which allocates money to local and international projects.

This year, PSU also has become a master’s international school partnering with Peace Corps to combine international work experience with a graduate degree.  Students spend one or two years in school then 27 months as part of the Peace Corps. For more information review the attachment or go to: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol.eduben.mastersint.

Quick Facts:

-          More than 5,600 Oregon residents have served in the Peace Corps since the agency began in 1961.

-          Last year, 210 Oregon residents were serving in the Peace Corps, ranking the state No. 5 for producing the most Peace Corps volunteers per capita.

-          Plus, the Portland metropolitan area ranked eleventh in the nation for producing Peace Corps volunteers

Event: A Call to Service Continues: Celebrating 50 Years of Peace Corps

Oct. 16, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Portland State University Smith Memorial Center, RM 228 (corner of Broadway and SW Harrison st.)

About Portland State University

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 125 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.