Our History
Groups of RPCVs living in Tennessee have been getting together over potlucks and other reasons as far back as the early 1980s, but it wasn't until late 2007 when a couple RPCVs got together over coffee in Nashville wondering why the Volunteer State didn't have an official RPCV group. One of the co-founders had a list of names through the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute where a couple RPCVs worked and a happy hour was planned in early 2008 where close to 30 RPCVs attended. A steering committee was formed from that group to research the possibility of forming an official group. Our vision was to create a statewide non-profit where all RPCVs living in Tennessee were automatically TNRPCVs and local groups could operate under one statewide non-profit license. Lipscomb University was hired soon after to facilitate a strategic planning workshop and our mission statement was born - to unite and empower the Tennessee Peace Corps community through service and support.
In September 2008, the TNRPCV group was formally incorporated with the State of Tennessee and was granted their federal 501c3 non-profit status later in 2011. Since then, groups in Knoxville and Memphis have formed in addition to the group in Nashville where we have held countless events and given away almost $18,000 to Peace Corps Partnership projects. We also co-hosted the NPCA Southeastern Peace Corps Expo in 2012 and the NPCA Peace Corps Connect conference in 2014.
