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People to People International (PTPI) is a program established on September 11, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of the
United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to " public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bil ...
. After President Eisenhower left the office of President in 1961, he arranged to have the organization privatized as a non-governmental organization and arranged for People to People to become a not-for-profit
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
corporation now known as People to People International. President Eisenhower was Chairman of the Board of Trustees and recognized as the founder of the not-for-profit organization. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the state of Missouri and qualifies for exemption from income tax under the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). PTPI is funded through program fees, membership dues and donations. Among the early leaders working with President Eisenhower were Joyce C. Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc.,
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
,
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...
and approximately 100 other remarkable individuals from industry, academia and the arts. Charles M. Schulz, creator of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip, contributed three pieces of artwork for PTPI Worldwide Conferences. On June 22, 2006, People to People was the first organization awarded the Cavaliere per la Pace (Knight of Peace Award). Prior to People to People, recipients of this award had always been individuals. Previous honorees include
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
,
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Com ...
and Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
. Since its inception, eight U.S. Presidents have served as the honorary chairman of People to People International. People to People International filed for bankruptcy on March 22, 2022, in Missouri Western Bankruptcy court.


Other PTPI programs

Other People to People International programs include: Educational and Humanitarian Initiatives adult travel programs, the EXPERIENCE program (an annual student travel program incorporating service work), Peace Camp (free, international travel program for students with an emphasis on peace education), the Global Landmine Initiative (working with
the HALO Trust The HALO Trust (Hazardous Area Life-support Organization) is a non-political and non-religious registered British charity and American non-profit organization which removes debris left behind by war, in particular land mines. With over 10,000 sta ...
), the School and Classroom Program (an international classroom-based pen pal program), & also Community, University, Student Chapters all over the world. Also the Global Youth Forum known as the GYF, open to 13- to 18-year-olds all over the world every November. The last few years the Global Youth Forums have been held in the following cities: In early 2004, actor
Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, humanitarian, and musician. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also received a sta ...
and author
Laura Hillenbrand Laura Hillenbrand (born May 15, 1967) is an American author of books and magazine articles. Her two bestselling nonfiction books, ''Seabiscuit: An American Legend'' (2001) and ''Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redempt ...
founded Operation Iraqi Children and joined in partnership with People to People International in order to provide a way for concerned Americans to reach out to the war-stricken children of Iraq by supporting troops and their efforts to assist them. In 2009, the mission of the program was expanded to include children in areas all over the world served by American troops and the name of the program was changed to Operation International Children. The Operation International Children program announced its closing in April 2013. The final shipment to Kuwait was sent in June 2013. PTPI is a partner of Global Youth Service Day. People to People International has a European extension office in Berlin, Germany. There was previously an office in Cairo, Egypt.


References


External links

*
Documents relating to People to People International at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

Operation International Children Website

People to People International on Facebook

People to People Ambassador Programs website

People to People Bankruptcy
{{DEFAULTSORT:People To People International Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower Organizations based in Missouri 501(c)(3) organizations 1956 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1956