President & CEO of National Peace Corps Association Glenn Blumhorst Visits BU HHHP
On Thursday, November 17th, President & CEO of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Glenn Blumhorst visited our offices to meet with Fellows, describe the Peace Corps and NPCA, and explore opportunities for Humphrey Fellows to connect with NPCA’s vast global network of alumni and supporters.
This was the second meeting in two months, as Fellows had met with Mr. Blumhorst in Washington, DC following the conclusion of the Humphrey Program’s Global Leadership Forum.
It was Hubert Humphrey who conceived the Peace Corps and urged President Kennedy to sign the order that brought it to life. Speaking on television with Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt, Humphrey summarized his vision for the Peace Corps as follows:
“I think this will have a very healthy impact upon our political understanding of the world in which we live. We Americans are prone to read a pamphlet, or a headline, or an editorial about so-called “emerging nations” or “underdeveloped nations”—and this streak of compassion in you says, “Do something about it”; or somebody else says, “That’s not my business.” So we treat it superficially. But when you have a substantial number of young people that are really living with their neighbors in other parts of the world—not living above them, not living removed from them—but part of a family, so to speak—and right down at the basic, fundamental parts of community life, you are going to have an understanding of the world in which we live.
This is not a part of the Cold War; this is a part of the warm heart and the open mind.”
Humphrey Fellows become leaders in the countries where PCVs serve, but PCVs and Humphrey Fellows are largely unaware of one another.
Mr. Blumhorst proposed one easy way to start building connections: membership in the NPCA is free and open to anyone. Moreover, the NPCA has numerous subgroups of members dedicated to activities within individual countries, and so Humphrey Fellows can easily connect with people who have a vested interested in their respective countries.
We are grateful to Mr. Blumhorst for making the time to speak with us and look forward to continuing our communication.