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Dear NPCA Advocates,
As we begin a new year and move closer to the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, we are pleased to take one last look back at our activities and progress during 2009 and share our advocacy priorities for 2010.
Happy New Year! |
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Thanks for Making a Difference
The image above of the Peace Corps community passing by the presidential reviewing stand was the only photograph of the inaugural parade featured in the Washington Post.
Whether you braved frigid temperatures to march in the inauguaral parade, wrote letters to your legislators from the comfort of your home, or reached out to others to expand our base of advocates, your collective contributions make the difference in our efforts to connect, inform and engage the Peace Corps community through our advocacy program.
We thank you for the patience that is sometimes requested, the persistence that is often required and the passion that you always display. Your amazing contributions helped make 2009 a truly special year for NPCA's advocacy program. |
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The MorePeaceCorps Campaign
It began more than two years ago.
In the Winter 2007 edition of WorldView magazine, NPCA President Kevin Quigley introduced the idea of a "More Peace Corps" campaign to the community. Citing the presidential campaign, the upcoming 50th anniversary and the need to restore positive perceptions about the U.S. around the world, the proposed campaign marked a confluence of opportunities that could not be missed.
Among the many who responded positively to Kevin's call for action was Donald Ross (Nigeria 65-67) who - as co-founder and CEO of M + R Strategic Services - provided critical guidance and countless hours of support to help launch the campaign. Early in 2008, the campaign was fueled with the addition of campaign coordinator Rajeev Goyal (Nepal 01-03) who traveled around the country to raise awareness and energize a network of volunteer activists.
While the early work of the campaign focused on building a base of support, the goal in 2009 was to score some tangible victories.
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Historic Funding for the Peace Corps
California Congressman Sam Farr (Colombia 62-64) is known by some of his House colleagues as "Mr. Peace Corps". Pictured above at a Capitol Hill gathering of NPCA's Director's Circle, Congressman Farr championed the cause of increased funding for the Peace Corps. He introduced legislation, authored several key congressional sign-on letters, gathered support from dozens and dozens of his House colleagues and was an outstanding voice during critical periods of funding negotiations.
With strong, consistent support from fellow RPCV Congressmen Mike Honda (El Salvador 65-67), Tom Petri (Somalia 66-67) and Steve Driehaus (Senegal 88-90), and leadership from other Peace Corps supporters including Nita Lowey (Chair of the key Appropriations Subcommittee who appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with RPCVs Chris Matthews and Maureen Orth and announced House support for a major funding increase for Peace Corps), Betty McCollum (a member of the subcommittee) and Howard Berman (Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee), the House recommended a $450 million Peace Corps appropriation for Fiscal Year 2010.
After negotiations with the Senate, Congress gave final approval to a $400 million appropriation for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2010. While less than the House request, this increase was historic in several ways.
- The $60 million increase over the previous fiscal year marked the single largest dollar increase for Peace Corps in its nearly 50 year history.
- The increase marked one of the few times that Congress approved a funding level above the amount requested by the President.
- The increase was a tremendous step forward compared to recent funding. The $60 million jump is higher than the increases in Peace Corps funding over the previous seven years combined.
Through a variety of actions, advocates from around the country helped acheive this victory. Thank you! |
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18,000 Signatures Strong
"I have met several people that have served in the Peace Corps. Their stories of service have now inspired me to give back in the same way. I look forward to the day."
Lucila Ochoa - National City, CA
"My Peace Corps experience continues to open doors into cultural and personal insights in dealing with others."
Lawrence Culver, Columbus, OH
Advocacy to build momentum for Peace Corps funding began with the closing of an activity that began immediately after the presidential election. By January 2009, nearly 18,000 signatures were collected from an online petition to President-elect Obama, urging him to follow through with his campaign pledge to double the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary. The signatures were bundled into two large binders and delivered to the President's transition team.
The comments above (as well as other comments posted as sidebars in this year-in-review) are exemplary of the thousands of eloquent testimonies offered by the broad and diverse group of individuals who make up the Peace Corps community. These comments benefitted our advocacy efforts throughout the year, as we were able to divide comments by state and congressional district, and include them in "leave behind packets" that were prepared for dozens of meetings with congressional offices throughout the year. |
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MorePeaceCorps National Day of Action
For the fifth consecutive year, NPCA coordinated a National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps to coincide with Peace Corps Week in early March.
This was our most ambitious effort to date, coordinating outreach and mobilization with our MorePeaceCorps campaign, intensifying our Capitol Hill mobilization efforts and increasing our resources and direct outreach through conference calls and webinars.
On March 3rd, as supporters of the Peace Corps phoned, faxed and emailed around the country, more than 40 advocates were in Washington to make the case with congressional offices. Advocates held 87 face-to-face meetings with staff and visited nearly every Senate and House office to deliver information urging support for the Peace Corps.
The Day of Action served as a launch point for three actions that built significant support for increased funding.
In the House of Representatives, 89 Congressmen/women signed onto a Dear Colleague letter (the highest number ever for such a letter) urging $450 million for Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2010. The Day of Action also built support for H.R. 1066, the Peace Corps Expansion Act, which eventually secured 132 co-sponsors.
In the Senate, a bi-partisan group of 37 Senators signed onto a Dear Colleague letter (the highest number ever for such a letter) urging robust funding for the Peace Corps.
All told, 188 lawmakers - more than 35% of the Congress - took positive action in supporting at least one of these Peace Corps initiatives. |
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More
Peace
Corps
Rally
On a beautiful Saturday in mid-June, 500 people gathered in Washington DC's Freedom Plaza for music, inspiring words and a call for action to build a bold, new Peace Corps.
The rally featured luminaries such as Harris Wofford and Tim Shriver, representatives of Peace Corps countries of service, returned Peace Corps volunteers including Michele Miller (pictured above, Solomon Islands/Vanuatu 98-00) and - perhaps most importantly - Peace Corps applicants and others interested in future Peace Corps service. Watch this video of Tim Shriver's address at the rally. The rally came shortly after news that the House of Representatives approved a major piece of foreign affairs legislation that included $450 million for Peace Corps - a key moment that created further momentum throughout the year.
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MorePeaceCorps Field Organizer Sam Kraegel (Mongolia 03-05) and Jennifer Newman (Panama 99-01) at the MorePeaceCorps Rally this past June
A Better, Bolder Peace Corps As many have noted, a bigger Peace Corps is not enough. A concerted effort is needed to improve the Peace Corps and embolden the Peace Corps to meet the challenges of the next fifty years of service. Several vehicles for action highlighted this need.
In June, RPCV Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced S. 1382, the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act. While calling for a significant increase in funding for the agency, the legislation also calls upon the agency to put forth a short-term and long-term strategic plan that addresses a range of issues including country selection, volunteer diversity, volunteer services and collaborative partnerships. Advocacy during the second half of 2009 built support for the legislation. While similar legislation in the previous Congress had two co-sponsors, by the end of the year 14 Senators had co-sponsored S. 1382. Follow this link for video of Senator Dodd introducing the legislation.
In October, we reached out to you with a "Better, Bolder Peace Corps" survey. More than 4,500 individuals, representing a great cross-section of the Peace Corps community, took part in the survey. Our final report was issued in December 2009 and shared with Peace Corps and congressional leadership. Our thanks to everyone who provided their input!
December also marked the publication of our Winter 2009 issue of WorldView magazine - a special edition with a series of provocative articles on how to best revitalize the Peace Corps. |
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A New Peace Corps Director
In late July, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened a hearing to consider Aaron Williams as the 18th Director of the Peace Corps.
Not only was Williams a recent member of NPCA's Board of Directors, his criteria matched key guiding principles the Board asked the President to meet in its letter on the selection of a new Director.
Following the hearing, Senator Chris Dodd - who, like Williams, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic - expedited the confirmation process. The new Director was on the job in August. Follow this video link to watch the Director's introductory remarks to the Peace Corps community.
As 2010 begins, Congress will consider the nomination of another RPCV and former NPCA Board member - Carrie Hessler-Radelet - to be the next Deputy Director of Peace Corps. |
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Congressman Tom Petri (center) is thanked for his early support of legislation to establish a Peace Corps commemorative by NPCA President Kevin Quigley, Roger Lewis (Tunisia 64-66) of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, NPCA intern Ashleigh Reibach and Advocacy Coordinator Jonathan Pearson
Other Peace Corps Issues As 2009 came to a close, all five RPCVs in the House of Representatives introduced H.R. 4195, legislation to establish a commemorative work in Washington to mark the formation of the Peace Corps, recognize its place in American history and to honor the ideals of service and empathy on which the Peace Corps was founded.
As one component marking the upcoming 50th anniversary of Peace Corps, congressional authorization of a Peace Corps commemorative is only the first step in a detailed process to create such a site. Stay tuned for further updates and developments on this initiative in 2010.
At the state level, NPCA wrote a letter supporting legislation in California designed to make it easier for military personnel, Peace Corps volunteers and others to have absentee ballots counted in state elections. The measure progressed in 2009 with approval in the California Assembly.
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Issues of Global Concern
While advocacy on Peace Corps issues is a major part of our program, we recognize, appreciate and seek to collaborate with other organizations and community members who are active on global issues that have significant impact on citizens and countries connected to the Peace Corps experience.
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Climate Change and Clean Energy
On a cold morning in January 2009, members of the Shriver Peaceworkers Program at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County participated in the annual "Keep Winter Cold" polar bear jump into the Chesapeake Bay, raising awareness about climate change and much needed resources for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, founded by RPCV Mike Tidwell (Zaire 85-87).
This was one of a variety of advocacy actitivities conducted in 2009 in which the Peace Corps community joined in the push for action to address the negative impacts of climate change - particularly among the world's most impoverished countries.
NPCA added its name to several coalition efforts to urge action. Along with joining global environmental and development organizations in several meetings with lawmakers to discuss climate change, we were included in several group sign-on letters and advertisements demanding action.
Paul Thompson (Malaysia 70-73) continued to devote more of his time and energy to mobilize others to take action on climate change. In July, Paul collaborated with NPCA and embarked on an ambitious twelve city tour to connect with RPCVs and others in order to build activity for crucial climate change activism. This included a successful fundraising auction at the World Flying Disc Federation championships in Jacksonville, where a portion of the proceeds benefitted a renewable energy Peace Corps Partnership Project.
Advocates in DC mobilized a Peace Corps presence in October for the International Day of Climate Action, and produced a video of RPCV voices on climate change that was featured on the website 350.org. Other advocates shared their thoughts on the need to combat climate change by offering individual testimonies.
As the year closed with global leaders gathering in Copenhagen for the United Nations' climate negotiations, we shared the perspectives of several RPCV bloggers who were in attendance.
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International Affairs Funding
Along with his leadership on Peace Corps issues, Senator Chris Dodd (who recently announced his retirement from the Senate) was one of the lead authors of a December 2009 Senate letter to President Obama, urging robust funding for international affairs programs in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget request.
NPCA staff and advocates continued to work in collaboration with the US Global Leadership Coalition to build support for overall funding for these programs - not only because the International Affairs Budget includes Peace Corps funding, but also because this part of the national budget accounts for many foreign assistance and humanitarian programs our community cares about.
Throughout 2009, NPCA continued to use its monthly advocacy updates to offer action opportunities and exposure for various NGOs working every day on issues of interest to many in our community. This included groups such as InterAction, the ONE Campaign, RESULTS and others. |
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Collaboration with NPCA Member Groups
The power, impact and potential of NPCA member groups is demonstrated in this photograph from the North Carolina Peace Corps Association. Back on April 18, 2009, the group invited Congressman Brad Miller (center front, in suit) to attend the group's "Africa Night" fundraiser. It was at that meeting that Congressman Miller announced he would co-sponsor the Peace Corps Expansion Act.
That was just one example of the contributions made by NPCA member groups during 2009. Florida groups in Jacksonville, Miami, Tallahassee and elsewhere worked together closely in reaching out to their members of Congress during and after the National Day of Action, resulting in the highest number of Florida lawmakers supporting Peace Corps initiatives. Hawaii RPCVs collaborated closely with the MorePeaceCorps campaign and were highly successful in their efforts, which included passage of Peace Corps funding resolutions in the Hawaii legislature. From the San Francisco Bay to St. Louis to Washington DC, member groups assisted with advocacy outreach, mobilization and action.
The most recent example of such action was a December 2009 group sign-on letter to President Obama, urging that he provide significant funding support for Peace Corps in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget request to Congress. 64 member groups signed this letter. Thank you!
2009 also marked a great and hard-fought victory for the Friends of Sierra Leone. After many years of advocacy by the group, Peace Corps announced at the end of 2009 that volunteers will return to the West African nation in 2010. |
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Continuing to Volunteer
The ethic of service and volunteerism that is central to the Peace Corps experience is exemplified by the dedicated commitment so many members of the Peace Corps community through advocacy. While it is not possible to mention everyone, the following examples are representative of the powerful contributions of so many more.
Tad Baldwin (Ecuador 63-65) and Ginger Rumph (Dominican Republic 92-95) - pictured above - came to the NPCA offices in advance of the March 2009 National Day of Action to help stuff packets and assist with other logistics. They were not alone as several dozen volunteers provided more than 300 hours of service.
A similar effort was provided in advance of last June's MorePeaceCorps rally. Larry Leamer (Nepal 64-66) devoted countless hours to organizing myriad rally logistics. Volunteers from the RPCVs of Washington included Joe Ford (Zambia 94-96) who was instrumental in securing a 100 foot banner that was used for writing messages to the President. Peter Hansen (Nigeria 66-68), visiting DC from Iowa, assisted with last minute leafletting to promote the rally, while Katherine Gibney (Senegal 67-69) was one of many volunteers who helped make rally signs.
Throughout the year, there were many other individual acts of volunteerism that supported our efforts. Examples include Nicole Harper (Botswana 94-96) and Roger Soles (Colombia 12) who were among those who helped distribute MorePeaceCorps booklets to every House office. Nathan Kennedy (Dominican Republic 02-04) provided timely assistance in helping produce our first RPCV climate change video. Grace Campbell (Panama 01-03; Peace Corps Response 05) distributed action flyers at a Maryland metro station during a key moment in Senate consideration of Peace Corps funding.
Many individuals continued to provide valuable counsel and service to the MorePeaceCorps campaign including Jayne Booker (Benin 73-75), John Chromy (India 63-65), Janet Greig (India 66-68), Ken Hill (Turkey 65-67), Judith McGuire (Nigeria 65-67) and Damian Wampler (Kyrgyzstan 99-01).
2009 also saw the creation of a Standing Committee on Policy and Advocacy. Along with NPCA Board members Dave Magnani (Sierra Leone 68-71; Kenya 82-83), Allegra Troiano (Senegal 80-82) and James Gore (Bolivia 03-05), the committee also includes former Peace Corps Director Mark Schneider (El Salvador 66-68), Christie Appelhanz (Ukraine 01-02) and Ravi Shah (Ukraine 08-09). |
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A Growing Presence on Capitol Hill
When Stacy Clenney (Guatemala 05-07), a recent campus recruiter at Florida State University, came to Washington to continue her professional career, she also agreed to assist advocacy program staff by attending congressional meetings to give her important perspective on the growing interest of individuals hoping to serve in the Peace Corps.
Stacy wasn't alone. People like Collier Perry (India 68-72) of Texas, Jim Sheahan (Sierra Leone 61-63) of Georgia, Mike and Ann Moore (Togo 62-64) of Colorado, Sanna Thomas (Tanzania 64-66) of California, Marie Kenyon (Niger 81-83) of Missouri and Kathy Harnig (Bulgaria 98-00) of New York were among the many RPCVs who incorporated Capitol Hill advocacy into their trips to Washington.
Combined with the work of NPCA advocacy and MorePeaceCorps campaign staff, more than 400 advocacy meetings were held with congressional offices during 2009. Coupled with 1,700 additional visits to offices to drop off key advocacy information and more than 1,000 staff phone calls, faxes and emails, our outreach to Capitol Hill hit new heights in 2009. |
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Media and New Technology
Blogging. Tweeting. Social Networking.
2009 was a year of significant advances for NPCA in expanding its reach through various forms of new media and outreach.
Early in the year we launched a new website, Peace Corps Connect, and upgraded the advocacy section of the site. The site also includes a social networking platform that currently has 18,000 subscribers and many advocacy related groups including general advocacy, the MorePeaceCorps Campaign, the National Day of Action, Peace Corps Retirement Credit, Climate Change and Clean Energy and Trade Justice.
Advocacy related news was regularly updated during 2009 on Peace Corps Polyglot, NPCA's blog that includes news and information on the activities and individuals that drive the Peace Corps community.
When breaking news occured throughout the year, we increasingly used Twitter to keep people posted on new developments. We tweeted updates as the House debated (and defeated) an amendment to decrease the size of Peace Corps' funding increase. We sent tweets during our National Day of Action and the confirmation hearing of Aaron Williams as Peace Corps Director. And, we used Twitter to provide breaking updates on final negotiations and votes on Peace Corps' Fiscal Year 2010 appropriation. With more than 3,000 followers, our advocacy program is increasingly using Twitter as one of the most effective resources to send timely advocacy updates.
At various points in our year-in-review, you find references to video. Our expanded media development includes NPCA TV, with advocacy videos, other program videos and a tour of the National Peace Corps Association.
As we build our new media presence, the utilization of traditional media as an advocacy tool is not being left behind. In December 2009 we featured the advocacy of Helene Dudley (Colombia 68-70; Albania/Slovakia 97-99) and gave attention to her newsletter article to fellow South Florida RPCVs on the importance of writing op-eds and letters-to-the-editor to local and regional newspapers.
In 2010 you can expect continued expansion of these resources, including future enhancements to our website to make advocacy connections and action opportunities even easier. |
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At the Senate confirmation hearing for Director Aaron Williams, former Senator Harris Wofford met NPCA interns (l to r) Lynsey Moncrieff, Shannon Cummings and Sara McAlpin |
Thanks to Our Incredible Interns!
Along with so many of you, our success in 2009 is due in no small part to the wonderful and dedicated work of our interns. They assisted with every function of our operation, from updating files and preparing support materials, to scheduling and participating in advocacy meetings to assisting with videos, Twitter updates and news articles.
As 2010 begins, we are extremely grateful to our 2009 advocacy interns for their significant contributions. Special thanks and best wishes to Abigail Burman, Shannon Cummings, Sarah Glass, Allison Hunn, Ashleigh Reibach, Jaylene Spannring and Analisa Toma. |
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2010 Advocacy Priorities
2009 National Day of Action advocates (l to r) Helen Tarpai and Liz Sykes, along with the other individuals named, quoted or pictured in our year-in-review, are representative of all the collective efforts to support and advocate for values representative of Peace Corps service.
There are many important issues to address as we move forward in 2010. We have chosen three issues that will serve as advocacy priorities. After seeking input from our advocates and consulting with our Standing Committee on Policy and Advocacy, the following three issues were selected:
- Peace Corps' Third Goal: Through direct action and public education, we will raise awareness of the Third Goal of Peace Corps as an integral - though underutilized - part of the Peace Corps mission.
- Global Volunteerism: Along with continued advocacy to strengthen and expand the Peace Corps, we will build our advocacy for all forms of service overseas by intensifying our partnership with a growing coalition of organizations promoting a "Service World" agenda for 2010 and beyond.
- Universal Basic Education: As education has been central to Peace Corps service throughout its history, we will engage with leading organizations to advocate policies supporting global access to basic education.
While the issue you feel most passionate about may not be listed as a 2010 priority, it is our intention to continue to hear your views on other global issues and provide outlets for information dissemination, action opportunities and the fostering of connections with like-minded supporters from our community. Please don't hesitate to contact us at advocacy@peacecorpsconnect.org with your ideas and proposals. We will do our best to work with you to see that they too, recieve exposure in the coming year.
Thanks again for everything you do!
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Coming March 2rd, 2010
6th
Annual
National Day of Action!
Volunteers Needed!
Contact us to find out how you can help
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Thousands of people joined the MorePeaceCorps campaign during 2009
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Billie Day (left, Sierra Leone 61-66) and Janet Callis (right, Korea 67-68) met with Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD) during the MorePeaceCorps National Day of Action in March
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SUBSCRIBE TO NPCA ADVOCACY NEWS
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Our Continued Success Requires Your Continued Support:
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RPCV Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA; pictured above) teamed up with fellow RPCV Congressman
Tom Petri (R-WI) to write a timely opinion piece in the Christian Science Monitor
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Recent RPCV Jennifer Bert (Jamaica 06-08) met with staff of her Pennsylvania Senators to urge support for the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion
Act
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Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), a strong voice in 2009 for Peace Corps expansion as a key component of "smart power" initiatives, wrote a compelling op-ed for Newsmax.com
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Tallahassee RPCVs teamed up with local schoolchildren in the spring of 2009 to raise awareness about Peace Corps during a springtime festival parade
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"My niece is presently serving in the Peace Corps in Cambodia. I traveled to Cambodia in April 2008. I witnessed the positive reception she received from the people in her village and from the students and co-teachers at the school in which she teaches English. Her students have expressed concern about her departure in March as there is no one to replace her. The Peace Corps is a wonderful example of America's support of people living in developing countries. I believe that the Peace Corps service provides enormous human and political benefit."
Kathleen Harrington -Weymouth, MA
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(l to r) District office staff of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) met with MorePeaceCorps California Coordinator Jayne Booker (Benin 73-75), Lenore Waters (Cote D'Ivoire 80-82), Richard Smith (Mongolia 94-96) and other northern California RPCVs during a 2009 advocacy meeting
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Senegal RPCV Congressman Steve Driehaus (D-OH) gave a passionate defense of increased funding for the Peace Corps during debate on the floor of the House of Representatives
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"My service as a PCV defined 30 years to date to sharing, social justice and diversity, and living beyond self. We can make a difference one day, one smile and one hand at a time."
Kevin Laughlin -
Garden City, ID
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Folk-singer Peter Yarrow (2nd from left) was among those adding their voice to the need for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps
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"I'm a current volunteer in Tonga and feel very fortunate to able to currently serve as an agent of peace in the U.S. Peace Corps and feel that this opportunity should be afforded to all the qualified individuals who are up to the challenge!"
Shawn Quast -
Duluth, MN
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Blake Schmidt (Mozambique 01-03) was one of several RPCV activists featured in a 2009 NPCA video on the need for global action on climate change
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Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) convened a Senate hearing on the nomination of Aaron Williams to be the next Peace Corps Director
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"My Peace Corps experience changed my life forever. Colombia, my host country, has become and will always be my second home and my second country. I cannot imagine even one day without my adopted Colombian family and the joy we bring each other. After more than 40 years that's a true tribute to the lasting affect the Peace Corps has had on thousands of lives worldwide."
Beverly Mioskowski -
Milwaukee, WI
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RPCV John Garamendi (second from left; Ethiopia 66-68) was elected to Congress during a November special election in California's 10th Congressional District
He celebrated on election night with (l to r) Pete Johnson (India 67-69), Susan Neyer (Philippines 62-65) and wife Patti (Ethiopia 66-68)
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Tim Shriver, son of Peace Corps founder Sargent Shriver, was among the guest speakers at the MorePeaceCorps
rally in Washington
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(l to r) Bolivia RPCVs Cindy McCabe and Kristina Owens were instrumental in RPCV participation in climate change advocacy in the Washington DC area
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"I am an RPCV and it changed my life. It is a wonderful way to be an ambassador for our country."
Cynthia Martinez -Hendersonville, NC
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Connecting, Informing, Engaging
During the course of 2009, our monthly advocacy updates included information links and action
opportunities from various organizations. These groups were featured:
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At the June 2009 rally, Priscilla Goldfarb (Uganda 65-67; Peace Corps Response 05) and Corey Taylor (Benin 97-99) were among those who signed a banner to President Obama urging support for Peace Corps
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"Spent 18 years (of the last 41) serving in the Peace Corps (2 as PCV and 16 on staff)...there is NOT a better use of US $$$...I've witnessed, been part of and can attest to specific, meaningful results!!! My sister was also a PCV and we have two nieces and a nephew waiting to finish school to apply!!! It is part of our family's legacy!"
Darcy Neill -
Bay Shore, NY
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In Washington for our National Day of Action, Joan McKniff (Colombia 63-65) was one of many superb Florida advocates who coordinated with each other to make the case for MorePeaceCorps
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"Peace Corps is a great way to educate Americans young & old on the issues that are important to real people in developing countries; more Peace Corps could be a major positive contribution to our understanding of how to make our international relationships work for all parties."
Tim Gast -
Fort Meyers, FL
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"Renew America with a bolder commitment to Service at both home and abroad!"
Jerome Nelson -
Fargo, ND
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