Breaking: Readjustment Allowance Increase
Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams testified today before the House
Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs in support of President Obama's $446.15 million Fiscal
Year 2011 budget request for the Peace Corps.
In his remarks, Williams announced
that, effective April 1, 2010, the Peace Corps readjustment allowance
that volunteers receive upon returning home from service will increase
to $275 per every month the volunteer served.
This increase was made possible because of the $60 million higher appropriation the Peace Corps received this year, a result of NPCA's multi-year More Peace Corps campaign. Kudos to everyone in the Peace Corps community who has been part of this advocacy effort!
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Record Number of Lawmakers Sign House Peace Corps Letter: Action Still Needed on Senate Letter
Led by the five RPCV Congressmen (Farr, Honda, Petri, Driehaus and Garamendi), more than 123 lawmakers signed this year's House Dear Colleague letter which urges $465 million for the Peace Corps. At the time of this newsletter, we were awaiting the final count!
Across the Peace Corps community, advocates took various forms of effective action that resulted in a 44% increase in signatures for this year's House letter. These advocates included RPCVs Jesse Bailey (Morocco 07-09) and Heather Driscoll (Romania 03-05). Pictured above, Heather and Jesse were among the nearly 60 volunteers who during Peace Corps Week participated in NPCA's National Day of Action. 112 formal meetings were held with congressional offices and volunteers visited every other Senate and House office to drop off materials and urge support for the Peace Corps funding letters.
ALERT - Final Day of Senate Action: The Senate Peace Corps letter (which calls for "robust Peace Corps funding" for Fiscal Year 2011) is still circulating and has a deadline of noon on this Friday, March 19th for signing on. 27 Senators have signed this letter. Your action is needed now to secure the signatures of remaining key Senators.
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NPCA's Africa Rural Connect "ARC" Contest Launches Again
Africa Rural Connect, NPCA's dynamic platform bringing together RPCVs, PCVs, and the African Diaspora, has begun its 2010 competition looking for the best ideas for agricultural rural development.
Last year, ARC awarded nearly $50,000 worth in prizes to help implement projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Now is the time for you to be involved and help spread the word to others! We want Peace Corps Volunteers to share their unique insights and collaborate with others to craft creative plans. This is a fantastic way to continue your Peace Corps experience and have an impact. Log on to the Africa Rural Connect website to add your idea and stay current with all of the exciting updates.
For those of you on Twitter, we hope you'll join the discussion this Monday, March 22 as we commemorate World Water Day.
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Politics and Romance - Director's Circle Weekend 2010
Earlier this month, RPCVs, staff and other members of the Peace Corps community arrived in Washington, DC from across the country to participate in NPCA's annual Director's Circle Weekend.
The weekend included events such as special recognition of Senators Bond and Dodd for their great support of the Peace Corps Community, remarks from Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and former Peace Corps Director Kevin O'Donnell, and many opportunities to share stories about how the community continues to serve after Peace Corps. The weekend will be remembered for the stories of Peace Corps romances and the lively session on Peace Corps' role in U.S. foreign policy....
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NPCA Honors Senate Peace Corps Champions
The annual Capitol Hill gathering of NPCA's Director's Circle provided an opportunity to recognize two retiring Senators who have been strong voices for the importance of the Peace Corps.
NPCA recognized Missouri Senator Kit Bond (above, standing) for his strong support for increased Peace Corps funding as an important element of "smart power" in our outreach to the world. During the program, we read a letter of congratulations sent by the St. Louis Peace Corps Association which said in part, "We thank Senator Bond for his persistence in calling for an expansion of the Peace Corps to put greater numbers of Americans into vitally important countries around the world, changing minds about America one small village at a time."
We also recognized Connecticut Senator and Dominican Republic RPCV Chris Dodd (above, center) for his lifetime commitment to service and his many contributions to the Peace Corps community. In presenting an award to Senator Dodd, former Senator Harris Wofford (above, left) said "We have been made richer for the so many things you have done. The loss to the Senate will be a gain to the whole citizen sector of this republic." |
Nominations Open for NPCA's Shriver Award
Do you know of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who continues to make a sustained and distinguished contribution to humanitarian causes at home or abroad? Or who is an innovative social entrepreneur whose actions will bring about significant long-term change?
If so, nominate him or her for the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service. The award was named to recognize the tremendous contributions of the first Peace Corps Director, Sargent Shriver, in the founding and development of the Peace Corps.
We welcome your nomination materials by April 9, 2010 to qualify for consideration.
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Welcome, RPCVs @ State!
RPCVs at the U.S. Department of State have came together to form our newest NPCA member group, RPCVs @ State. The on-going projects and activities of the group include a mentor program, networking events and advocacy. They recently launched a DOS intranet website and hosted a "shadowing day" for RPCVs. Please join us in welcoming this new group to the NPCA community. |
Step Up: Nominations Open for NPCA Board
Nominations are now open for the 2010 NPCA Board of Directors elections. This election will be to fill four member-elected seats to
represent the following regions on the Board:
- Upper Midwest
- The Americas
- West, Central and Southern Africa
- Asia and the Pacific (one-year term)
Be part of the NPCA's leadership during the Peace Corps' 50th anniversary year! Visit the NPCA website for more information and to download the nomination
packet. Nominations close on April 1, 2010.
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ARE YOU A MEMBER?
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Don't miss out on the latest breaking 50th Anniversary information, news and events.
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Join here.
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SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
With the Peace Corps' Speakers Match program, elementary and secondary school teachers can enhance their students' learning through classroom presentations by returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
Interested classroom teachers and returned Peace Corps Volunteers can enroll in the Peace Corps' Speakers Match program by clicking here.
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RPCV MENTORING
Sometimes the hardest thing about Peace Corps is adjusting to life back home. It can feel like being a fish out of water.
That's why the NPCA, in conjunction with the Peace Corps, created this unique program to help returning Volunteers link up with RPCV mentors.
For more information or to apply for the program, click here.
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FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Yes, we are now Twittering!
Follow NPCA at: www.twitter.com/pcorpsconnect.
Follow Africa Rural Connect at: www.twitter.com/ideasforafrica.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Save the date for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Group Leaders
Forum (GLF): Saturday, June 26 here in Washington, DC. Stay tuned for
a survey to help with the plans!
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ARE YOU CONNECTED?
With the move to a new website, we also moved to a new database. Please take a minute to log in, review and update your contact information and communication preferences, make a donation, and/or join or renew your membership. It's all in one place. Thank you for keeping us updated!
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 ... with NPCA
Are you a person with Peace Corps experience who uses the professional online
networking community LinkedIn? Well we have
created an NPCA group on LinkedIn...and you're invited.
Join NPCA's LinkedIn group
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WHAT IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT?
Curious about what's on the mind of the Peace Corps Community?
Wonder no more. Check out Connected Peace Corps...the social networking area on our website.
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