People to People International (PTPI) is a program established on September 11, 1956, by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, 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 Bill C ...

. 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 U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

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 5 ...

and approximately 100 other remarkable individuals from industry, academia and the arts.

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wi ...

, 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 bo ...

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 dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

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 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 st ...

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 Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), originally launched and known as National Youth Service Day in the United States, is a coordinated annual event which voluntary gathers young people around the world in conducting community service, service learni ...

. 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