National Peace Corps Association Names Winners of ‘My Piece of the Peace Corps’ YouTube Contest
Washington, D.C.─ The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the United States’ leading nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, announced today the winners of the hard-fought YouTube contest, “My Piece of the Peace Corps.” Marlene Nancy Lopez, a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Moldova, won first place for her video, “The Peace Corps Effect,” and will receive a $2,500 cash prize. The video features a Moldovan teenager playing guitar and teaching English to a group of disabled students while she talks about the influence a Peace Corps Volunteer had on her.
“The winning video of this contest really captures the essence of the Peace Corps experience especially as we celebrate the 50th anniversary,” said Erica Burman, director of communications for the National Peace Corps Association and a former Volunteer in The Gambia. “We were impressed by the technical quality of her video and her original musical composition, but even more so by what she had to say about the values of the Peace Corps.”
Judged by NPCA staff and board members, both the winning video along with the runners-up will be featured on NPCA’s website and used to help commemorate the Peace Corps’ five decades of service. The judges named Carrie Pavlik of Pennsylvania as second place who will receive a $1,000 cash prize for her video, “My Piece of the Peace Corps.” John Garvey, a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Burkina Faso, came in third place and will win a $500 cash prize for his light-hearted video, “A Peace Corps Song.”
Participants submitted their videos for consideration on the popular video-sharing website YouTube between July 1 and Sept. 30. The final winners were selected in time to help generate awareness of the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary celebration, which recently kicked off at the University of Michigan, site of President John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech proposing the Peace Corps.
“The videos were as diverse and fun to watch as anything on YouTube—everything from the camerawork to the songs to the storytelling,” said Burman. “Still, despite their differences, they all showed the profound effect the Peace Corps has on Volunteers and the people around them.”
To see the winning videos and runners-up, go to: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2010/10/video-contest-winners/
About The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., NPCA is the United States’ leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former volunteers through their continued service back home. It is also the longest-standing advocate on behalf of the Peace Corps and its values.
To learn more, visit: www.peacecorpsconnect.org