The Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation's leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps community, have announced that an Around the World Expo will be held Saturday, April 30, in Raleigh.

This expo is one of nine regional events nationwide to highlight the contributions of Peace Corps volunteers and celebrate the program's 50th anniversary. It precedes and builds upon the Peace Corps Night celebration sponsored by the North Carolina Peace Corps Association later that evening.

"Our goal is to highlight the accomplishments of the Peace Corps over the last 50 years while inspiring the next generation of volunteers," said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association (Thailand, 1976-79). "These expos will be a way for people who have only heard about the Peace Corps to come see it up close."

A collaborative effort between NPCA, the Peace Corps and local member groups, the expos provide an opportunity for the general public and RPCVs to celebrate the countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have served. Attendees will be able to hear firsthand from former volunteers about their experiences and projects around the world. Peace Corps and NPCA staff members will be on hand to lead workshops and answer questions on various recruitment and education initiatives.

The expos are timed to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's creation of the Peace Corps in 1961. Free and open to the public, they are aimed at people interested in volunteering, teachers looking for new ways to engage students, and RPCVs seeking to reconnect with former colleagues. One panel will feature RPCVs from the Raleigh area who continue to build on their Peace Corps experience in service to their own communities and around the world.

The expo in Raleigh will be held on April 30 at 2 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center at 500 South Salisbury St. Scheduled speakers include Chris Gilson (Ecuador 1984-1986), regional manager, Regional Recruitment Office, Arlington, Va; NPCA Vice President Anne Baker (Fiji 1985-87); and Emily Coble (Sierra Leone 1974-1976), president of the North Carolina Peace Corps Association.

"The anniversary expos provide an opportunity for everyone to get a hands-on experience through story-telling, workshops and demonstrations," adds Quigley. "In essence, we'll be bringing the world home to help inspire a new generation of volunteers."

To learn more about the expos, visit the website http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/resources/peace-corps-50th-anniversary/50thexpos/