Peace Corps Polyglot

Maine and Connecticut Advocates are Perfect!

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!

 

Senate Committee Approves Dodd Legislation, Peace Corps Deputy Director

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had Peace Corps on the agenda at today's business meeting.

The Committee gave its approval to Senate Bill 1382, the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act.  Authored by RPCV Senator Chris Dodd, the legislation calls upon the agency to conduct an assessment of 18 issues identified as key to the improvement and expansion of Peace Corps operations, and provide a strategic plan that includes one and five year goals and benchmarks to measure progress.

The Bill was passed with a manager's amendment, which eliminated the funding levels specified in the original text. A member of Senator Dodd's staff commented that this will allow for more focus on improving and reforming the Peace Corps.

The Committee also approved the nomination of former NPCA Board Member Carrie Hessler-Radelet to become the next Deputy Director of the Peace Corps. 

With today's votes by the committee, both the legislation and the Hessler-Radelet nomination go to the full Senate for final approval.

Final Days for Action on Peace Corps Funding Letters

 
During the March 2nd National Day of Action, former NPCA intern Rachel Shattuck of Dundee, Illinois met with her Congressman, Bill Foster to make the case for increased Peace Corps funding.  Last week, Congressman Foster signed onto the House Dear Colleague letter for the first time!

Are you the next Rachel Shattuck?  Is your Senator or Congressman the next Representative Foster?

There's still time for lawmakers to take action, but time is running out:

In the House of Representatives, 99 lawmakers have signed the Farr-Honda-Petri-Driehaus-Garamendi Dear Colleague letter urging $465 million for Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2011.  Tuesday morning is the deadline for signing onto the letter.  Follow this link to see which Congressmen/women have already signed onto the letter.

In the Senate, 14 Senators have signed onto the Dodd-Corker Dear Colleague letter urging robust funding for the Peace Corps.  Tuesday evening is the deadline for signing onto this letter.  Follow this link to see which Senators have already signed onto the letter.

Please go to www.morepeacecorps.org follow the link to your state, and follow the instructions to take action.

(Photo above: l to r, Illinois RPCV Rob Marshall, former NPCA intern Rachel Shattuck, Congressman Bill Foster and RPCV Mike Wood during the March 2nd National Day of Action)

The Day is Over...But the Action is Just Getting Started!

As people from across the nation were making phone calls, sending faxes and churning out email messages to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, 46 volunteer advocates walked the halls of Congress during the March 2nd National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps.

Combined with other citizen advocates who arrived in town later in the week, a total of 55 individuals participated in 112 face-to-face meetings with Senators, Congressmen and/or their staff.  In addition to that, they helped deliver packets to all other congressional offices, holding informal meetings with staff in a number of instances.

The message?  To thank Congress for its outstanding support of the Peace Corps during last year's appropriations process, and to urge continued support as work begins on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget.

The advocates focused on so-called "Dear Colleague" letters urging the key appropriations subcommittee to support robust funding for the Peace Corps.  As of 3 PM on March 8th, 59 Congressmen/women and seven Senators had signed onto these letters.

We Need YOU to Take Action:  Even though NPCA's National Day of Action is over, a critical period of follow-up is underway.  Senators have until March 16th to add their name to the Senate letter.  The House letter has a March 15th deadline.  Taking effective action is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

STEP ONE:  Visit www.morepeacecorps.org and click on your state.

STEP TWO:  Scroll down to your Senators or Congressman/woman to see if they have already signed onto the Senate (or House) letter.  If they have, contact them and say thank you!  If they have not, go to the top of your state page for simple instructions on how to take action by phone or email.

STEP THREE:  Please contact five other people you know - they don't have to be RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff - provide them with the action link and ask them to take action today!  

Thanks to all our advocates who generated such a strong and vibrant Peace Corps presence on Capitol Hill.    Contact us at [email protected] to find out how you can help! 

Visit www.facebook.com/peacecorpsconnect for more photographs from the Day of Action.

And be on the lookout for more updates and action appeals over the next ten days.

   

 

It's Here! National Day of Action Takes Aim at Capitol Hill

There are many ways to mark Peace Corps week.  One of the most important is to be an advocate for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps.  That's why the National Peace Corps Association launched a National Day of Action six years ago.

Today's the day!  Follow this link and then go to your state for specific actions you can take to be an effective advocate.  It only takes a few moments to make a phone call, just a little more time to send an email or fax.  And when you take that action today you will be joined by thousands of others from all around the nation!

That's not all.  Your National Day of Action efforts on the home front are being backed up today by nearly 50 volunteers who are on Capitol Hill, holding meetings, delivering information, making the case for Peace Corps and urging lawmakers to sign Senate and House "Dear Colleague" letters supporting robust Peace Corps funding for Fiscal Year 2011.  More than 90 meetings are scheduled, and these volunteer advocates are hoping to drop off information to nearly all of the 535 congressional offices.

Look for updates on twitter, Facebook and other networks.  And please spread the word!  Anyone who cares about the Peace Corps can participate.  Thank you!

Just Less than 50...Just More than 80

 
As we move into the final hours before NPCA's 6th Annual National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps, nearly 50 members of the Peace Corps community are scheduled to be on Capitol Hill for meetings and information distribution as you email, phone and fax from all around the country.

More than 80 formal meetings with congressional offices are scheduled, and we expect that number to continue to climb.  Where we don't have meetings, we will be dropping off information packets making the case for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps.

Please consider "adopting" one of our Capitol Hill advocates: As the National Day of Action has no dedicated revenue source at this time, we rely on your generosity to help cover the costs of everything from materials for the congressional packets the volunteers will be delivering, to a pre-event conference call/orientation, to "MorePeaceCorps" canvas bags and buttons to wear on the Hill.  And, let's not forget some lunch money to keep these hard working volunteers energized!  We have about half of our advocates adopted (at an estimated cost of $50 per advocate).  To fully (or partially) adopt one of these volunteers, please follow this link and select "Advocacy/MorePeaceCorps" to make your donation!

Visit www.morepeacecorps.org starting on March 2nd to take part in the National Day of Action!

(Photo:  Mariko Huges, who experienced the impacts of stagnant Peace Corps funding during her recent service in Azerbaijan, is among the nearly 50 volunteers who will be on Capitol Hill supporting your efforts during the National Day of Action)

We’re getting Ready for the March 2 National Day of Action!

Volunteers like Richard MacIntyre (Korea 67-69) and NPCA interns like Jillian Klarman are uploading information, preparing support materials and getting us ready for March 2nd - Our sixth annual National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps.

State Resources Available: Go to the state pages of the MorePeaceCorps site for lots of information ranging from background materials to promotional flyers to ideas on important actions you can take right from home!

Group Leader Letter Writing Packet: For NPCA Member group leaders, we have a toolkit for a special letter writing action you can take on behalf of your groups.

National Conference Calls: Check out the calendar of events on Connected Peace Corps for remaining national conference calls to help you prepare.

Still Accepting Capitol Hill Volunteers: We are closing in on our goal of having forty volunteers walking the halls of Capitol Hill and meeting with lawmakers and staff, as you are sending thousands of phone calls, emails and faxes.  If you want to assist on Capitol Hill, contact us at [email protected].

President Obama Requests $446 million for Peace Corps

In releasing his Fiscal Year 2011 budget to Congress, President Barack Obama is recommending $446.15 million for the Peace Corps.  This would represent an 11.5% increase over current Peace Corps funding.

Language in the President's budget suggests it will increase "volunteer numbers, recruitment efforts and the entry of the Peace Corps into new countries in order to have approximately 9,400 Americans enrolled in the Peace Corps by the end of 2012 and 11,000 by the end of 2016."  Peace Corps currently reports roughly 7,700 volunteers and trainees in the field.

The President's budget also references steps included in the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriation (approved by Congress and signed into law last December 16th) related to a better and bolder Peace Corps. That language states that "not later than 45 days after enactment of this Act, the (Peace Corps) Director shall submit a spending plan to the Committees on Appropriations on the proposed uses of funds."  Not later than 180 days after enactment (June 16, 2010), "the Director shall, after consultation with the Committees on Appropriations, submit a report to the Committees that includes the findings of a comprehensive assessment of the current program model of the Peace Corps and a strategy for reforming and improving operations."  Persuasive and compelling reports on use of the funds and improving its operations will be critical to generating congressional support for another significant funding increase.

"Although short of our More Peace Corps campaign's goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps by the 50th anniversary, the President's Peace Corps request represents a continued commitment to service through an expanded and improved Peace Corps," said National Peace Corps Association President Kevin Quigley.  "We will move forward with Peace Corps leaders in Congress to secure at least the President's request for Fiscal Year 2011."

Current funding for the Peace Corps - $400 million - provided the largest single-year dollar increase ($60 million) in the history of the agency.  If the President's Fiscal Year 2011 request is approved, it would mark the second highest increase in history and the largest percentage increase (other than last year) since 1991.

It's Coming: March 2nd National Day of Action

The first week of March is Peace Corps Week, marking the signing of a presidential executive order creating the Peace Corps.

It is also the week when the National Peace Corps Association and its MorePeaceCorps Campaign mobilizes activists for an annual "National Day of Action" in support of the Peace Corps.

Please mark your calendars as Tuesday, March 2nd, will be this year's Day of Action.   We hope everyone will - at the very least - set aside five minutes on that day to make a phone call, send an email or send a fax to their representatives in Congress urging continued support for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps.

For those living in or near Washington DC, there's a lot to do to help prepare for the Day of Action.  This includes volunteer advocates who can participate in Capitol Hill meetings on the 2nd.  If you can volunteer, please let us know.

If you live elsewhere, please start reaching out to friends, family and other members of the Peace Corps community to let them know about the Day of Action.

The Day of Action is timely in that it comes several weeks after the President submits his Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal to Congress.

Stay tuned for updates as the Day of Action approaches.  For volunteer information and other questions, please contact [email protected]

NPCA Advocacy Year in Review - 2009

What a year!  From marching in the inaugural parade to celebrating a record funding increase for Peace Corps, 2009 was quite a year for NPCA and its advocacy program.

RPCVs Mike and Natalie Hall (Thailand 67-69) were just two of the thousands of advocates from all around the country who made a tremendous difference in the just-concluded year.

Some of these great individuals are featured in our 2009 advocacy year-in-review.  They include Capitol Hill citizen-lobbyists, parade marchers, public speakers and climate change bloggers - caring and concerned citizens who continue to volunteer in order to build a more peaceful world that responds to global challenges in a spirit of friendship and cooperation.

Follow this link for a look back at NPCA advocacy in 2009.  And, get ready for a big year in 2010!