On this day in 1960, Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy stood before students at the University of Michigan and offered a challenge that would change lives: the Peace Corps. This government-funded volunteer program invited young Americans to serve in developing countries and help others help themselves.

“One person can make a difference, and every person must try,” said the charismatic leader. His words lit a spark of service—a generation of goodwill ambassadors stepping forward with courage.

At his inauguration a few months later, Kennedy’s vision grew wider: “Let the word go forth, from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.”

By the end of its first year, the Peace Corps had programs in 13 countries with 750 volunteers. By 1966, that number had grown to more than 15,000—the largest in its history. “The nation cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor,” Kennedy believed.

Decades later, the mission continued: in 2004, over 7,500 volunteers served in more than 70 countries, over half of them working in education and health, including HIV/AIDS outreach. Since its founding, over 171,000 have served, spreading hope and creating quiet, lasting advocacy.

In his 1963 Commencement Address at American University, Kennedy spoke to our shared humanity: “We can help make the world safe for diversity. For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”