Happy Holidays Everyone!  We had a great time at last weekend’s potluck with some pretty great white elephant gifts and awesome food.  Cheap chicken parts from Kazakhstan had one of the most interesting back stories (ask Roger Hume to tell you sometime) and the poppy seed roll was out of sight.  We also sold all of our calendars which is a first for us which is good, but at the same time, we apologize if you weren’t able to get one this year.  If you really want one, you can still get them directly from the source in Wisconsin at www.rpcvcalendar.org.  Thanks for coming and have a great holiday season. 

Maborok Said!

Dave Keiser

      50^th Anniversary Gathering Spotlights Critical Corps Needs

Four Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVS) from Knoxville,  Knoxville and Nashville are back  home following 50^th Anniversary celebrations in Washington, DC.  Wendy Seaward (Lesotho), Sean Keegan (Chile), Angela Harris (Papua New Guinea) and Joshua Gwinn (Burkina Faso) [photo] went to the Nation’s Capital with a message:  Support legislation to honor and strengthen the Peace Corps’ mission of promoting peace and friendship around the world. They met with Representatives Diane Black, Jim Cooper, John Duncan, Chuck Fleischman, Phil Roe, and the staffs of   Senators Llamar Alexander and Bob Corker.

The Returned Peace Corps volunteers from Tennessee were among 700 who committed themselves to participate in a September 22^nd Capitol Hill advocacy day, organized by the National Peace Corps Association, the nation’s leading non-profit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community.  September 22^nd marked fifty years to the day of final congressional passage and signing of the Peace Corps Act in 1961.  More than 6,000 attended Peace Corps 50^th celebrations from Sept. 21 – 25.

Advocates urged continued strong support for funding of the Peace Corps, noting the positive role Peace Corps volunteers play in U.S. outreach to the world and emphasizing the forgotten dividend and many domestic benefits RPCVs provide to communities here at home.  Earlier this year Peace Corps received a $26 million cut to its $400 million budget.  Advocates are seeking to forestall further cuts.  Some 8,655 Peace Corps volunteers are currently in the field – an increase of nearly 1,000 from a year ago and the highest number in 40 years.  Since 1961, more than 200,000 citizens have served as Peace Corps volunteers in nearly 140 different countries.

Advocates urged bi-partisan support and cooperation to ensure passage of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, designed to strengthen the agency’s training and response to volunteers serving overseas who are subjected to physical or sexual assault.  Since this issue received much attention earlier this year, Congress, the Peace Corps and victims advocacy groups have taken significant steps forward to address the concern. 

“I have a special interest in this area as a woman in our group was experiencing assaults at her assignment, and our Peace Corps Country Director would not address her safety issue.   Most of the serving volunteers in Lesotho at the time wrote letters to DC and had the country director removed,” stated Wendy Seaward. 

Congress is also considering legislation to authorize the creation of a commemorative work near the National Mall to mark the historic significance of the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961.  This project would use no tax payer funds.   

C 

http://karla-offscript.blogspot.com/

By Jonathan Pearson on Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

We’re hearing good things from around the country as members of the Peace Corps community are reaching out and scheduling district office meetings during the National Peace Corps Association’s first-ever locally based advocacy mobilization during the August congressional recess.

Nashville Tennessee is just one of the places where this is happening.  ”RPCVs are active, engaged and responsible citizens who vote,” says Angie Harris, one of the lead organizers of the local advocacy initiative of the Tennessee Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.  ”We want our government officials and our local communities to be aware of the importance of the Peace Corps and how serving as a volunteer has impacted our personal and professional lives in a positive way.”

About a half-dozen RPCVs came together last month to start mapping out a meeting strategy.  The group reviewed materials provided by the NPCA and divided responsibilities for seeking and scheduling meetings.  From Nashville to Jackson to Memphis, meetings are being sought with at least half the members of the Tennessee congressional delegation.

While the group will be making specific requests on Peace Corps funding, safety and security legislation, and Peace Corps commemorative legislation, basic education will also be part of the effort.  ”We know as RPCVs that promoting the Third Goal  (bringing the world back home) is an integral part of promoting the values of the Peace Corps,” said Harris.  ”Tennessee RPCVs want our representatives to know about the global work that volunteers do as well as the service that RPCVs continue to do at home.  And, we want to acknowledge and thank our representatives who have supported the Peace Corps.”

Congratulations to Angie and fellow Tennessee RPCVs Susanne Bennett, Evan Campa, Hope Collins, Dave Keiser, and Sheila Denemark for their local leadership in advancing district meeting advocacy efforts.  It’s an endeavor that is much more than raising awareness about their personal volunteer experiences.  As Harris notes, “Advocating for the Peace Corps is important to us because we want other Americans to have the same opportunities as we did to serve as volunteers.”

http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2011/08/august-featured-advocates-tennessee-rpcvs/

Phill Robinson was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya.  Before he suddenly passed away in 2009, Phill helped to establish the TNRPCVs.  As Habitat for Humanity’s Marketing Director, Phill also volunteered to build houses for the organization.  His favorite days to work on builds are called ‘framing days”.  As its name refers, this is the process of creating a frame of the house, the basis of any building.  Phill liked these days the most because he knew that it was exciting to see the significant progress by the end of the day. 

Mark your calendars!  Habitat’s framing day this fall is Sunday, August 28. The TNRPCVS need 20 volunteers to commit to this day.

If you are interested and can oblige to most of the day, please click this link and fill out the form.   It only takes a  minute!

6/15/2011

Do you have questions like these?
• Where will I live?
• What will I eat?
• How will I get around?
• Can my family and friends visit me?

JOIN US for our next GlobeTalk Information Session in Nashville and have these and any other questions answered by recruiter Toby Rowell, who served in Zambia as an Environment Volunteer.

Agenda
• Peace Corps staff share their overseas story
• DVD featuring Volunteers currently serving in the Peace Corps
• How to apply and other information for those interested in applying
• Updated details about our all expenses paid benefits package PLUS graduate school fellowships
• Open discussion and questions from the audience
• Insider Tips Fact Sheet and other material

Bring your friends/family and your questions!

GlobeTalk Information Session
Wednesday, June 15th
6PM
Tennessee Foreign Language Institute
227 French Landing Drive #100
Nashville, TN 37228

Contact: Toby Rowell

On May 5th, TNRPCV will be working with Rebuilding Together Nashville to help repair a home that was damaged in the May 2010 flood. This will be a chance to help a homeowner affected by the flood and also a chance to spend time conversing with friends and possibly making fun of the way they hold their paint brush. Work will begin at 8am and conclude at 3pm. All necessary tools and materials will be provided. After the project there will be a gathering from 4:00 to 7:00 at the Yazoo Brewery Taproom to celebrate everyone’s hard work as well as the Mexican Army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla.  Please email me if you are interested in volunteering at jceglarek@rebuildingtogethernashville.org

If you’re a big Facebook user, you can also RSVP through our Facebook event page.   www.facebook.com/tnrpcv

Event details about Rebuilding Together can be found at www.tnrpcv.org/events

John Ceglarek – Ukraine, 2008-2010