“In the Peace Corps we strengthen our nation by creating understanding and hope in foreign countries. In the war against poverty we are trying to create within our own boundaries the kind of society whose strength and humanity will make it worthy of world leadership.”
Sargent Shriver served as the first Director of the Peace Corps from March 1961 until February 1966. He also led the War on Poverty from January 1964 until March 1968, creating the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and establishing a variety of poverty programs, many of which continue to serve Americans today (Head Start, Community Action, Legal Services, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), among others). Our Quote of the Week is from April 1964, a period during which Sarge was responsible for both offices. Through his own descriptions of his work we can see a basic principle that laid the groundwork for the institutions that he built: that a nation can find and build its strength by treating all people at home and abroad with humanity, and by engaging with other countries with diplomacy and a spirit of service.
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