While everyone who helped build support for Peace Corps funding through urging lawmakers to support March Dear Colleague letters made a significant contribution, advocates in two New England states achieved the first-ever distinction of having all members of their congressional delegation sign the letters!
The state of Maine demonstrated great bi-partisanship as the two Republican Senators (Snowe and Collins) and both Democratic Representatives (Michaud and Pingree) signed respective Peace Corps letters. Swanville resident and Korea RPCV Richard McIntyre (above, standing) met with three of those offices during the Day of Action and helped coordinate outreach and mobilization to other Maine RPCVs. "I would like all RPCVs to know that this was not difficult...what it took was to briefly meet with a staffer or the congressperson and share my interest in securing their signature. Congressional staffers have told me that they could make it happen if at least a few of their constituents requested their endorsement."
In Connecticut, the Connecticut RPCVs launched a two week phone call/email campaign and worked right up to the deadline to secure the signatures of all lawmakers. This included relentless outreach by group leader Maureen Shanley (Colombia 77-79), whose advocacy ended up having an added benefit beyond the success of the signatures. "My nephew was checking my caller ID and he asked me why I had incoming calls from the US Senate and the US Congress. I was able to teach a quick lesson on civics while impressing my nephew because he all of a sudden realized that one person's voice can make a difference."
Congratulations to all advocates in Connecticut and Maine for their special achievement!
We are excited to announce that Africa Rural Connect (ARC), an online project launched last summer by the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), has received this year’s Interactive Media Award™ (IMA) for Outstanding Achievement under the category "agriculture." This is the second highest honor bestowed by IMA.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for the planning and execution of a very creative online community,” saya Molly Mattessich, NPCA's Manager of Online Initiatives. “We hope this recognition will draw even more people to the site to submit their ideas and engage in a discussion on how to help rural Africa.”
Now in its second year, ARC is an online community hosted by NPCA that encourages the remixing of ideas to spur collaboration and develop new ways to help solve rural Africa's greatest challenges. The site is powered by an innovative software program called Wegora, which allows users to read and remix each other's ideas at a press of a button.
The IMAs are issued by the Interactive Media Council and recognize the highest standards of excellence in Web site design and development. Judges evaluate each Web site on five different criteria including design, content, feature functionality, standards compliance and usability and those that receive the highest scores are considered for an award.
“Africa Rural Connect is a growing online community that’s already generated hundreds of innovative ideas to help address rural issues facing farmers like food insecurity and lack of water resources,” adds Mattessich.”Receiving an award like this from leading professionals in the industry is a testimony to our commitment to bring together returned volunteers, the African diaspora and anyone who has lived and worked in Africa to come together and share their knowledge and ideas.”
Peace Corps volunteers don’t end their community service efforts with the end of their time abroad. As we know, many volunteers bring that spirit of service back to their own communities, and groups of returned Peace Corps volunteers often continue to serve their communities in various ways.
One such group is the Inland-Northwest Peace Corps Association. The group’s recent activities included volunteering with the local public television station, KSPS Public Television/Friends of Seven, which serves the Inland Northwest and Canada. According to longtime group member Sue Bracken, group members (pictured here at KSPS) have answered phones at the television station’s pledge drives for the past ten years.
The group’s support is very much appreciated by the television station. Dawn Bayman, the Membership Director at KSPS, says that members of the group come one or two times a year to volunteer and that “over the years they’ve answered almost 1,300 phone calls with pledge contributions totaling more than $165,000!” Bayman says that what she appreciates most about these volunteers “is the sense of service and integrity that they bring to their work. That always shines through in their conversations with our members – they go out of their way to be helpful and represent KSPS very well.”
Congratulations to the Inland-Northwest Peace Corps Association for ten years of service to KSPS as part of serving their community in the spirit that the Peace Corps seeks to foster.
We first met Nicole Fiol about three years ago.
Nicole connected with us as we were preparing for an NPCA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. While most of the participants were returned Peace Corps volunteers or former Peace Corps staff, Nicole's interest in participating was driven by her passion as a Peace Corps applicant.
Nicole impressed us in many ways. Her positive energy, her vibrant personality and her ability to get result! In the picture above, Nicole met with staff of then Congressman Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico, who subsequently signed onto a Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter.
We also took note of Nicole's story of the time and financial challenges she faced as a Peace Corps applicant from Puerto Rico. Because of this, we asked her to share her story with Congress by testifying at a Senate hearing on Peace Corps legislation.
The qualities of patience and perseverance that are essential to a good advocate are also important traits for Peace Corps applicants such as Nicole. It eventually worked out as Nicole was assigned to a post in eastern Uganda.
Earlier this month, as mudslides devastated Uganda's Bududa region, Nicole was the first volunteer to arrive and begin providing disaster assistance. Your can follow this link to read more about the work of Nicole and her Peace Corps colleagues - inspiring global engagement that continues to make us proud.
The annual Capitol Hill gathering of NPCA's Director's Circle provided an opportunity to recognize two retiring Senators who have been strong voices for the importance of the Peace Corps.
NPCA recognized Missouri Senator Kit Bond (above, standing) for his strong support for increased Peace Corps funding as an important element of "smart power" in our outreach to the world. During the program, we read a letter of congratulations sent by the St. Louis Peace Corps Association which said in part, "We thank Senator Bond for his persistence in calling for an expansion of the Peace Corps to put greater numbers of Americans into vitally important countries around the world, changing minds about America one small village at a time."
We also recognized Connecticut Senator and Dominican Republic RPCV Chris Dodd (above, center) for his lifetime commitment to service and his many contributions to the Peace Corps community. In presenting an award to Senator Dodd, former Senator Harris Wofford (above, left) said "We have been made richer for the so many things you have done. The loss to the Senate will be a gain to the whole citizen sector of this republic."
Earlier this month, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, former staff staff and other members of the Peace Corps community arrived in Washington, DC from across the country to participate in NPCA’s annual Director’s Circle Weekend.
The weekend included events such as special recognition of Senators Kit Bond and Christopher Dodd for their great support of the Peace Corps community, remarks from Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and former Peace Corps Director Kevin O’Donnell, a special tour of the African Art Museum given by RPCV docent, Bonnie Gottlieb (Cote D’Ivoire 72-74) and many opportunities to share stories about how the community continues to serve after Peace Corps. The weekend will be remembered for the stories of Peace Corps romances (!), African dancing and the lively session on Peace Corps’ role in U.S. foreign policy.
Among the attendees, NPCA was happy to welcome its newest members Peter Laugharn (Morocco 82-84), David Lockshin (Costa Rica 81-84) and Kathleen Harnig (Bulgaria 98-00) as well as many members of the NPCA Board of Directors and Advisory Council. Special thanks to Frances Holliday Alford (Republic of Korea 78-80), Chair of the Director’s Circle, Tom Scanlon (Chile 61-63) our host for Friday evening’s reception and everyone who helped to make this a fantastic weekend.
To learn more about the Director's Circle, and how you can join, click here.
[Top photo: Tom Scanlon, NPCA board member David Magnani and Sen. Harris Wofford. Bottom photo: Kevin O'Donnell, NPCA Advisory Council member Ginny Kirkwood and Helen Lowman.]
"On the March 2nd 2010 Peace Corps National Day of Action 50 volunteer advocates stormed Capitol Hill** to meet with their representatives and urge support for robust Peace Corps funding for 2011 and Peace Corps’s 50th anniversary. We were among these eager roaming advocates: Nancy Stills (Kenya 03-05 & Peace Corps Response Volunteer Antigua and Barbuda 2008), and Antoine McGrath, a 2011 hopeful.
Jonathan Pearson, the National Peace Corps Association Advocacy Coordinator prepared us well with an intense schedule of meetings and all the legislative information we needed, including the annual Senate and House Peace Corps funding “Dear Colleague” letter urging fellow members of Congress to sign. He told us that our personal stories and passion were equally, if not more important than knowing the right thing to say and would have the most lasting effect on the people we met.
Jonathan could not have been more right. Our day was packed with House and Senate meetings in which Nancy shared her volunteer experiences and what the future of Peace Corps means to our changing world and U.S. relations. Antoine shared his application hopes and how their support can make service for him – and thousands of others - possible. The policy advisors and staff that we met expressed sincere respect for Peace Corps service and genuine affection for the Volunteers that serve. Staffers and guests to our meetings shared their own stories of friends and colleagues in the Peace Corps, their own application considerations, and, in one case, their time as a Peace Corps Volunteer. At the very least, everyone had a friend in the Peace Corps.
By the end of the day we felt that together we had made a positive difference. Along with the other Volunteers we ran into in the Congressional and Senate halls racing to their meetings, this was certainly true. The following day we heard that a Congressman who had never signed in the past, signed the House “Dear Colleague” letter. Since our day on the Hill, we’re told dozens of Senators and Representatives signed in support of 2011 Peace Corps funding.
Advocating with the National Peace Corps Association was fun, our Hill meetings couldn’t have been more welcomed and in the process we made a new friend in one another. Next year we hope to see all of you in the Peace Corps ranks--people who have heard life calling."
-- Nancy Stills and Antoine McGrath
**You can see photos of Peace Corps advocates on the Hill on our Facebook page.
Director of Communication for the National Peace Corps Association. Be my friend on Facebook.com. :-)
Recent Comments