When President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural speech over 50
years ago, he asked Americans to do something they had never
been asked to do before. “Ask not what your country can do for
you; ask what you can do for your country.” When the country did
ask that question, Kennedy replied with the formation of the
Peace Corps. By May of 1961, Kennedy was sending letters of
appreciation to the thousands of enthusiastic volunteers who
responded. Now 50 years old, the Peace Corps remains one of the
few programs out of the New Frontier days of Kennedy that still
draws thousands of volunteers to communities around the world to
make life at least a little bit better for the people they
serve. The secondary benefit of serving in the Peace Corps,
according to most volunteers, is that it made life richer for
the people who served. “In those days, in the 1960s, young
people were more idealistic that the generation before them,”
said Nick Schmader of Warwick, who found himself in Liberia in
1968. “One of the first things