Peace Corps Polyglot

Ten Years...$165,000!

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.

Former NPCA Advocate Making Her Mark in Uganda

 

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.  

Chesapeake Bay Polar Bears

The Shriver Peaceworkers group came out in force for the annual “Keep Winter Cold” polar bear jump organized by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Shriver Fellow participants included (l to r) Kyrgyzstan RPCV Meghann Shutt, Honduras RPCV Katie Long and South Africa RPCV Rian Parent.

Meghann reported on her experience!

 

On January 23rd, four Peaceworkers, one alumn, a few friends, and the director of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows program headed down to Annapolis, Maryland to take part in the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s 5th Annual Polar Bear Plunge, and man was it cold!  The Peaceworker program has been a friend and supporter of CCAN's Founder, Mike Tidwell (RPCV Zaire) for a number of years, and our group was proud to continue the tradition of taking a frigid swim to help "Keep Winter Cold"!  So, donning nothing but our swimsuits we joined 150 other bathers plunging into the Chesapeake Bay to raise awareness about the impact of climate change.  Compared to the Nordic temperature of the water (someone said the Bay was 36 degrees), the 40 degree day felt like summer.  We enjoyed the rest of it warming up, noshing at The Rockfish and rehashing the classic Bill Murray movies of our youth..."I said Good Morning, Gill!"  (for the What About Bob geeks out there)  What a day!

Hope to see you there next January!!

Peace Corps Director Comments on Expansion

Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams, in a November 15 interview published in Parade magazine, says the agency plans to add a couple of thousand volunteers over the next two years.

You can read the interview by following this link.

United We Serve - The Peace Corps Community

The Peace Corps community has been invited to join in President Obama's summer service initiative - United We Serve - challenging all Americans to help lay a new foundation for growth in this country by engaging in sustained, meaningful community service this summer.  The initiative will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country.  Peace Corps community is a natural ally in this effort and recently Acting Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen released this statement:

Dear Returned Peace Corps Volunteers:

I am proud to invite you to join President Obama's summer service initiative - United We Serve - a call to all Americans to join a volunteer effort this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America, one community at a time.

United We Serve officially starts on June 22 and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11. Since his inauguration, the President has called on all Americans to serve their communities and be a part of building a better future for our country.

At nearly 200,000 strong, returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) have a tradition of making a difference in their communities by selflessly contributing their skills and experience through their dedication to service. Across America, individual RPCVs and RPCV groups are engaged in grassroots projects like restoring hiking trails in Denver, providing assistance and education opportunities to refugees in San Francisco, and offering volunteer translation services for families with medical emergencies in St. Louis.

The President believes that America's new foundation will be built one community at a time, through an ethic of service and volunteerism and the personal commitment of individuals willing to give of themselves to build a better future. This is a commitment that is well understood by everyone in the Peace Corps community.

When volunteers commit to long-term service projects in their communities, they build expertise and strengthen their community's capacity to meet its challenges.  In many places, community-based organizations' capacity is strained, so we are calling on all RPCVs to take a leadership role in recruiting and organizing their friends, family, and neighbors to bring about the change that is needed. Maybe that is organizing a neighborhood to rebuild a playground, creating a clothing drive, or volunteering to refurbish a local school.

I encourage you to visit www.serve.gov, to find service opportunities near you and to post your own projects. Throughout the summer, the Obama administration will look to highlight examples of exemplary service - both in existing programs and new ones - that meet the President's call by building a community's capacity to address our most pressing problems. These stories of service will lay the groundwork for future efforts.

You can learn more about RPCV United We Serve participation and share your own story of service by visiting www.peacecorps.gov/unitedweserve.

I intend to contribute to United We Serve in my local community. I hope you will consider completing a project in yours.

Sincerely,

Jody K. Olsen
Acting Director

The National Peace Corps Association joins with the Peace Corps in supporting greater community involvement and sharing stories about the many ways that we continue to serve.

(Photo courtesy of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Phoenix, AZ)

A Milestone for the Peace Corps

Peace Corps got some good news yesterday. 

Here's the message sent out last night by NPCA's MorePeaceCorps Campaign Coordinator, Rajeev Goyal.  Rajeev has been a tireless and savvy advocate for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps.

Showing incredible political courage, Representative Howard Berman in today's hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee tossed out the administration's $373 million figure for the Peace Corps in FY 2010 and replaced it with $450 million. This is a gigantic step for the Peace Corps, but our legions of returned volunteers must now see to it that the money is appropriated and voted upon and that a new generation of leadership arrives at the Peace Corps ready and able to create a visionary organization that is an integral part of the American presence in the world.

Everyone should pick up the phone between 9 AM to 5 PM and call the White House at 202-456-1111 and tell the operator that we support a bold, new Peace Corps for the new century.

Read the article on the Huffington Post

We are deeply grateful for the legislators such as Sam Farr, Betty McCollum, Howard Berman and others who are working so hard on behalf of Peace Corps.  Now that the domestic service programs have been given a boost, it's time to to ensure that Peace Corps--the oft-cited inspriration for them all--gets its due.

(Thanks to Service Nation for spreading the word.)

Obama Budget Includes $373.5 Million for the Peace Corps

This morning President Obama released a detailed version of his Fiscal Year 2010 budget to Congress which includes a funding request of $373.5 for the Peace Corps. This request represents a ten percent increase in spending above the current $340 Million funding level for Peace Corps.

“President Obama’s Peace Corps funding request is a step in the right direction, but it is only a step”, said NPCA President Kevin Quigley.  “As a growing number of Americans are responding to the President’s call to service, and as more and more countries request Peace Corps volunteers, we need to provide the resources that will allow us to meet these needs and reach the President’s stated goal of doubling the number of volunteers by the 50^th anniversary of Peace Corps. Unfortunately, this budget does not reflect that goal, rather calling for a very modest increase in the number of volunteers to 9,000—an approximately 13% by the time of the 50^th Anniversary.  There is more work to be done in securing the needed resources for the Peace Corps, and we hope Congress will address this in the coming weeks and months by appropriating funding for the Peace Corps that meets - or surpasses - the President’s request.”

Consideration of the President’s budget moves to the Senate Appropriations Committees. If your representative(s) serve on these committees, contact them to express support for Peace Corps funding levels that go beyond the President’s request, such as the $450 Million proposed in the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009, legislation before the House of Representatives.

>> Click here for the State Department's Summary and Highlights of the International Affairs Function, FY2010 Budget Request (.pdf format) and then click to page 35 of the document to see the budget details for the Peace Corps.

St. Louis RPCV Group Leader Meets President Obama

Alicia Schnell (Bolivia 97-99) was one of four community volunteers chosen to meet with President Barack Obama during his visit to St. Louis, Missouri yesterday (April 29).  Before he took the stage to commemorate his 100th day in office, they told him their stories of service.  President Obama signed the  Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act on April 21. You can read the complete story here.

Alicia Schnell
Alicia was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia (1997-1999). She was a rural health adviser working on water sanitation. Alicia is now leader of the St. Louis area returned peace corps volunteer community (about 150 strong); they work together to do area service projects together, currently trying to organize a Habitat house. She now volunteers with Healing the Children – a non-profit group that brings children from around the world who need medical attention to U.S. hospitals, the group also sends medical teams abroad. Alicia has traveled with the medical teams, and in St. Louis volunteers as a translator (Spanish) for the children. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, BA in Biology and Psychology; MBA.

(Pictured below, far left)

Beyond Good Intentions: Do Peace Corps Volunteers Help?

Beyond Good Intentions is an organization committed to uncovering more innovative and effective approaches to international aid worldwide. Through their film series and educational programs they are working to catalyze a much-needed dialogue about aid effectiveness in hopes of transforming the current system.
 
The Beyond Good Intentions film series follows the round-the-world journey of first-time filmmaker, Tori Hogan, as she investigates how international aid can be more effective. Shot on location in eight different countries, the ten-episode series takes viewers along for the ride as Tori meets with countless aid workers and recipients to uncover more innovative approaches to helping communities in need.

Episode 6 features the Peace Corps.  Here's the description:

"Do Peace Corps Volunteers really help? Join Tori on an overland journey through Madagascar as she meets with Peace Corps Volunteers working to assist local communities. 

RPCVs Join UNITE to fund Togo Summer Camp

RPCVs are looking for support from the Peace Corps community to help with a new fundraising campaign for a camp for Togolese youth.

Founded in 2001 by the Peace Corps and staffed by Peace Corps Volunteers, Camp UNITE (Unification de la Nation: Initiative, Travail, et Education) is a series of weeklong summer camps for motivated Togolese students and apprentices from villages and cities throughout the country.

Summer camps focus on such themes as self-confidence, HIV/AIDS awareness, teamwork, sex/health education, goal-setting, life skills, leadership, empowerment and behavioral change.

In addition to educating and empowering youth, the camp helps to heal ethnic divisions of Togo by having all regions of the country represented. Camp UNITE also allows participants to make friends and contacts throughout Togo for future collaboration.

Former Peace Corps Volunteers who worked at Camp UNITE are partnering with the UNITE foundation to launch the "8 by 8" fundraising campaign. The campaign is asking Americans for an $8 donation to help the camp raise $8,000 in eight weeks. The money will help to support the camp's eighth year.

Camp UNITE 2009 will mark the 8th year of camp for female students, 7th year for male students, 6th year for female apprentices (learning trades such as hairdressing and tailoring), and the 3rd year of camp for male apprentices (learning trades such as masonry and mechanics). Past participants have not only shown remarkable personal accomplishments (such as continuing their education through college and opening their own businesses), but have led their communities in development through trainings, peer educator groups, and educational sessions.