Reption and awards ceremony for the recipients of the 2016 John F. Kennedy and Franklin H. Williams Awards. br/br/----------------------br/br/•The Franklin H. Williams AwardEstablished in 1999, the Franklin H. Williams Award pays tribute to returned Peace Corps Volunteers of color who continue the Peace Corps mission through their commitment to community service, and who support the agency’s third goal of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The award assumes the name of former Peace Corps Regional Director for Africa and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Franklin H. Williams. Ambassador Williams was instrumental in assisting the first Peace Corps Director, Sargent Shriver, in advancing the agency’s mission across the globe.•The John F. Kennedy AwardThe Peace Corps established the John F. Kennedy Award in 2006 to honor the hard work and sacrifice of six individuals who have given outstanding service to the Peace Corps at home and abroad. The award is presented every five years to two current Peace Corps Volunteers, one returned Peace Corps Volunteer, one returned Peace Corps Response Volunteer and two Peace Corps staff members. The recipients are as follows:Franklin H. Williams – Director’s AwardBryan Stevenson, President and Founder, Equal Justice InitiativeFranklin H. Williams – West Region Ravi N. Dutta, Namibia, 2003-2005 Franklin H. Williams – Central RegionKendrall Masten, Zambia, 2005-2007Franklin H. Williams – East RegionDr. Paul M. Brown, Côte d’Ivoire, 1974-1976John F. Kennedy Service Award – Peace Corps StaffT. A. “Froggy” Chance, Jamaica, 1982-presentJohn F. Kennedy Service Award – Peace Corps StaffBryan Dwyer, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Rwanda, 2005-presentJohn F. Kennedy Service Award – Returned Peace Corps Response VolunteerBob Arias, Colombia, 1964-1966; Peace Corps Response Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, 2009-2013John F. Kennedy Service Award – Peace Corps VolunteerLauren Breland, Thailand,