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March 8, 2010                                                                 www.peacecorpsconnect.org
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Dear NPCA Advocates,
 
The sixth annual National Day of Action and other Peace Corps Week activities were huge successes.  But important follow-up continues.  The next ten days are critical.
 
Read about the past week and the important week ahead in this special March advocacy update.
 
NDA 2010 Group Orientation
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(46 volunteers came to Capitol Hill last Tuesday to advocate for increased Peace Corps funding)
 
Support Building for Senate/House Peace Corps Letters
 
Keep Taking Action!
 
Our primary focus during last Tuesday's National Day of Action was building support for Senate and House "Dear Colleague" letters urging increased funding for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2011.
 
As of 10 AM Monday morning, 7 Senators and 59 Representatives signed this year's letters.  Follow these links to see if your lawmakers are currently signed onto the Senate and House Dear Colleague letters.
 
With just over a week remaining to sign on, there is still time to get your lawmakers to take positive action in support of the Peace Corps.
 
Take Action Now: 
 
  • Follow this link and click on your state for quick and efficient actions you can take by phone, email or fax to urge your lawmakers to sign onto Senate or House Dear Colleague letters.
  • When you get to the page, go to the list of lawmakers and their contact information to see if they have already taken positive action, or if there are any special instructions.
  • Please note there are slightly different actions for your Senators and your Congressman/woman.  Be sure to take the correct actions for each one.
  • Deadlines to sign onto the letters are March 15th for the House letter and March 16th for the Senate letter.
  • Let us know you took action and please forward this information to at least five other people you know!
 
 
Look for a mid-week update to see how Congress is progressing in meeting or surpassing last year's letters which secured 89 signatures in the House, and 37 signatures in the Senate.
 
 
Advocacy 2010 NDA Hohl
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Advocates Hold 112 Meetings on Capitol Hill During Peace Corps Week

Dave Hohl (center, Nepal 66-68) flew to DC from Pinedale, Wyoming to advocate during Tuesday's National Day of Action and for several days beyond that!  Dave met with all three of his representatives in Congress including Senators John Barrasso (l) and Mike Enzi (r).
 
He wasn't alone.  With assistance later in the week from many dedicated members of NPCA's Director's Circle, 55 citizen advocates representing 19 states held 112 meetings with lawmakers and/or staff to discuss key Peace Corps issues.  51 of the meetings were constituent-based, and eleven of the meetings included some time speaking directly to the lawmaker.  There were a number of informal meetings that occurred, and by Tuesday, March 9th, we will have delivered information to every congressional office. 
 
The great group of volunteers who made this possible represented a wide spectrum of the Peace Corps experience.  Peace Corps pioneers such as Don Chauls of Sudbury, Massachusetts (Philippines 62-64) and Rowland Bennet of Maplewood, New Jersey (Malawi 62-64) were on the Hill.  So were recent returnees including Mike Wood of Chicago (Guatemala 03-05) and Jesse Bailey of Greenfield, Massachusetts (Morocco 07-09).  The advocates included former staff, recent Peace Corps recruiters and even a couple of Peace Corps applicants.  With the great feedback they provided in the aftermath of their meetings, we are now in the process of coordinating with everyone to maximize the impact from last week's meetings.

 
US Capitol
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NPCA Recognizes Retiring Senators Dodd and Bond for Peace Corps Support at Director's Circle Gathering

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."
 
 
 
Advocacy Begins on Peace Corps Commemorative
 

Eleven meetings held last week also touched upon another piece of pending legislation. H.R. 4195 - introduced by all five RPCVs in the House of Representatives - would authorize the establishment of a Peace Corps commemorative work that would be located in Washington, near the National Mall. 
 
As noted by the non-profit Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, a commemorative work located in the nation's capital would "honor the preeminent historical and lasting significance of the establishment of the Peace Corps in 1961, and the American ideals and values upon which it was founded."
 
Meetings last week concerning the commemorative centered around members of the House Natural Resources Committee, where the legislation has been referred.  
 
Action Alert:  Senate/House Budget Committees Next Stop for Peace Corps, International Affairs Programs

 
Beyond the level of support by individual Senators and Congressmen, there are other concurrent factors that determine the eventual fate of Peace Corps funding.
 
This includes actions of the Senate and House Budget Committees, which are about to begin their review and take action on the President's Fiscal Year 2011 budget request.
 
President Obama provided a healthy increase for Peace Corps as part of his $58.5 billion International Affairs Budget. This budget request - which includes a variety of international assistance and humanitarian relief programs - is 2.8% above current spending. Supporters are concerned it will be targeted for significant reductions during the congressional budget process.
 
If your representatives are members of the Senate Budget Committee or the House Budget Committee, please take action.  The US Global Leadership Coalition has an action alert you can follow to take action now.
 
NPCA is one of more than 70 non-governmental organizations that have so far signed onto a letter circulated by the ONE Campaign and InterAction, urging support for an International Affairs Budget that at least meets the President's request.
 
 
Upcoming Hill Hearings, Meetings, Focus on Peace Corps Assessment, Planning, Leadership

 
In addition to the Senate and House Peace Corps funding letters, there is a lot of Peace Corps related activity coming up on Capitol Hill in the next few weeks.
 
On Wednesday, Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams is expected to appear before the House Appropriations State/Foreign Operations Subcommittee to discuss the Peace Corps budget request for Fiscal Year 2011.  Also this week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to hold a hearing on the nomination of Carrie Hessler-Radelet to be the next Deputy Director of the Peace Corps.
 
Before the end of the month, the Foreign Relations Committee is also expected to take up RPCV Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act, which outlines nearly 20 issues to serve as a framework for a comprehensive assessment of current operations, and the development of one and five year strategic plans to improve the Peace Corps experience.
 
 
Advocacy 2010 Maureen Herman
 
 
Featured Advocate: 
Maureen Herman -
Washington, DC


We were thrilled with the quantity (55 participated in Capitol Hill meetings during Peace Corps week) of volunteer advocates who provided more than 500 hours of service in support of the Day of Action.  We were even more excited by the quality of the participants, who did an extraordinary job on Capitol Hill.  While it is really difficult to single out any one person for their efforts, we wanted to recognize Maureen Herman (Paraguay 96-98) as one who represented the passion and vibrancy of the group.
 
Maureen was among the first to register this year to be a Capitol Hill advocate, noting that the day had additional meaning beyond Peace Corps Week.
 
Maureen wrote that March 2nd "is also my 40th birthday, so I have decided to dedicate it to Peace Corps, since it was the most important experience in my life!  Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday." 
 
If that wasn't enough dedication to the day, Maureen also reached out to some RPCV friends, to see if they would join her on the Hill as a "birthday present."  Angelique Bella (Paraguay 95-97) flew in from Flossmoor, Illinois to celebrate the day with her friend in a most meaningful way.  Pictured above, Maureen (l) and Angelique (r) were part of a great Illinois contingent that held nine meetings throughout the Day of Action.
 
Our thanks to Maureen and Angelique for representing the spirit demonstrated by all our Capitol Hill advocates during Peace Corps Week.
 

 
IN THIS ISSUE
The Day is over, but we still need you to ACT!

National Day of Action Wrap Up

NPCA Recognizes Sens. Dodd and Bond

Authorizing a Peace Corps Commemorative

Don't Forget Action with Budget Committees

A Whole Lot of Peace Corps Activity Going On

Featured Advocate: Maureen Herman

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This Month's Featured Advocate:

Maureen Herman
 
(Paraguay 96-98)
Washington, DC
 
Read More Below! 

 
 
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Nadia at Capitol 

 

(l to r) Corey Taylor (Benin 97-99) and Kara Mitchell (Dominican Republic 98-00)prepare for their meetings with NPCA Advocacy Coordinator
Jonathan Pearson.

  
 
 
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Nadia at Capitol 
 
 
(l to r) Jackie Malambri, who is thinking about applying to the Peace Corps, participated
in the National Day of Action.  She teamed up with Lianne Kennedy Boudali (Niger 00-02) for a series of meetings with congressional offices.
 
 
 
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NPCA LINKS
 
Join NPCA
 
 

MorePeaceCorps Campaign 
 
 
Peace Corps Community News
 
 
Peace Corps Polyglot - NPCA Blog
 
 
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Congressional Floor Speeches Recognize Peace Corps During Peace Corps Week
 
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Nadia at Capitol
 
Petition signing on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis was one of many actions taking place around the country to support increased funding for the Peace Corps.
 
 
 
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KEY ADVOCACY LINKS
 
White House
 
United States Senate
 
 
 
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 Advocacy 2010 NDA Workroom

 

Follow Up,
Follow Up!
 
Hill Advocates came back to our staging area to catch up with each other, catch their breath and fill out report forms about their meetings.
 
 
 
 
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ORGANIZATIONS REFERENCED IN THIS MONTH'S ADVOCACY NEWS
 
  
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 Coat of honor
 

More Peace Corps long sleeve T-shirt



Visit NPCA's
 
 
 
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Nadia at Capitol
 
Day of Action Hill participants signed cards for all six RPCVs in Congress thanking them for their leadership!
 
 
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