From staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Anthony Abbruzzo, 22, of Trussville, has been accepted into the Peace Corps.
Abbruzzo will be departing for Ghana in February 2015 to begin pre-service training as a health education volunteer.
Abbruzzo will graduate in December from the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
“I’ve always enjoyed volunteering and serving others,” Abbruzzo said. “Peace Corps will allow me to combine my passion for travel and international service.”
During the first three months of his service, Abbruzzo will live with a host family in Ghana to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist his community, Abbruzzo will work in cooperation with the local people and partner organizations on sustainable, community-based development projects that improve the lives of people in Ghana and help Abbruzzo develop leadership, technical and cross-cultural skills that will give him a competitive edge when he returns home.
Abbruzzo joins the 51 Alabama residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 1,000 Alabama residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.
There are currently 143 volunteers in Ghana working in the areas of education, agriculture and health. During their service in Ghana, volunteers learn to speak the local languages. More than 4,360 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Ghana since the program was established in 1961.
President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 to foster a better understanding among Americans and people of other countries.
For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov.