Peace Corps Community Mourns Loss of Volunteer Catherine Saltwick

The National Peace Corps Association was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Peace Corps volunteer Catherine Saltwick. Saltwick, a former hospital-services supervisor at Northwest Tissue Services, was working on the prevention of mother-child AIDS transmission in Botswana. She also worked to reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, by creating postive images of people living with the disease. Saltwick was killed in an automobile accident in Gaborone, Botswana on May 30th.

Click here to read Catherine Saltwick's obituary in the Seattle Times.

Below is the news release from the Peace Corps concerning her tragic death:

Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Volunteer Catherine Saltwick
Dedicated Volunteer and Friend to the People of Botswana

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 2, 2008 - The Peace Corps is mourning the loss of Catherine "Cathy" Saltwick, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. Cathy was killed in an automobile accident Friday night, May 30th.

"Cathy was an outstanding Volunteer, and I had the privilege of meeting her in Botswana last year," said Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter. "Cathy was devoted to helping the people of her community combat HIV/AIDS, and her death is a loss for her loved ones, her family, the Peace Corps, and the people of Botswana."

Cathy, 35, worked in a rural clinic to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and she particularly worked on the prevention of mother to child transmission program. She assisted peer mother support groups in developing an outreach program to demonstrate safe infant feeding to HIV positive mothers in their homes.

In her aspiration statement, Cathy said, "I believe that volunteering for the Peace Corps is the most effective way of combining my unique set of professional skills with my values and other life goals in order to continue to make a valuable contribution to the world."

Cathy is a native of Seattle, Washington, and she is survived by her parents, John and Jeanette Saltwick, also of Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s of science degree in cellular and molecular biology, and she also completed her eye bank technician certification in 1998. Before her Peace Corps service, Cathy worked for the Northwest Tissue Center and the Northwest Lions Eye Bank. Cathy also volunteered at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Seattle.

In 1988 Cathy graduated from Ballard High School in Seattle at the age of 15. At the time of her graduation, Cathy was the youngest graduate in the school's 85 year history. In a local Seattle news report following her graduation, a reporter was quoted as saying, "She is not old enough to drive and she is not old enough to get a job, but at 15 she was old enough to graduate from Ballard High School."

Comments

[Louis Mueller]

I met Cathy about 15 years ago through my son, who knew her sister, Chris. She was a very lovely, intelligent, lively, personable, and kind young woman, who impressed me greatly.

Though I did not know her closely, I mourn her passing, and commiserate with all who knew her. I regret that her obviously outstanding skills and services have been lost to this world, which needs them so badly.