March 2012, Vol. 8 No. 3                                                                                                 www.PeaceCorpsConnect.org

Record Signatures on Peace Corps Letters
 
Following our 8th Annual National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps, the Peace Corps community continued to respond over two weeks to urge Senators and Representatives to sign Dear Colleague letters urging strong funding for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2013.

Your efforts yielded big results! In fact, a record number of 128 Congressmen/women signed onto the House letter authored by the four RPCV Congressmen. That includes California Congressman Sam Farr, who says "The 128 members who have signed our letter serves as a true testament of the power of the Peace Corps, and its ability to show the world our nation's investment in world peace."

While an additional signature or two may trickle in, 31 Senators are signed onto a Senate letter authored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA). Combined with this year's House signatures, that also produced another record!
 

Save the Date for
Peace Corps Connect: Minneapolis 2012

 
Many thanks to the 62 individuals who suggested names for our "Name the Annual Gathering" competition. Natalie G. Montanaro, Romania 2009-11 is the grand prize winner of two free registrations for the gathering. Because NPCA used bits and pieces of several entries, a blind drawing was conducted for the grand prize winner.

We look forward to seeing you all at Peace Corps Connect: Minneapolis 2012 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, June 28-
July 1. Registration will officially open on March 26, 2012.
 

E-News Mini-Survey: Travel
 
Recently, the National Peace Corps Association has been giving very serious thought to reinstating its Travel / Service program. Would you please take a few minutes to answer questions that might hold wonderful promise for you and your travel plans? We would appreciate your input! Your answers to any or all of the questions in this survey will help us immensely. Thanks!

 

Remembrance: Kevin O'Donnell, True Friend of the Peace Corps

Those who knew Kevin O'Donnell and love the Peace Corps mourn the loss of its true friend and tireless champion.

Kevin O'Donnell began his service to the Peace Corps as the first country director in Korea in 1966. His service began after a time of considerable personal and family challenges. IIn his office to this day, there is a poignant portrait of his "blended" family with its eight enthusiastic children on the eve of their departure to Seoul.

After four years in Korea, where he developed a life-long love affair with that remarkable country, in 1970 Kevin was called back to Washington, DC. In 1971, he became the fourth director of the Peace Corps....
  

Why Everyone Should Join #RPCVchat

Been wondering what this "Twitter" thing is? Heard about something called #RPCVChat?

Well here's your chance to learn more!  Peace Corps Paraguay Volunteer Manuel Colon recently wrote a piece for the NPCA blog about how participation in NPCA's weekly "twitter chat" has had a positive impact on his service. 

"The chats have been a way for me to share my experiences here in Paraguay and compare them to folks at other posts and even former Volunteers from Paraguay ... I've used it as a way to share resources and connect with other Peace Corps Volunteers around the world. Thanks to the chats, here in Paraguay we are looking into modeling some of our projects and programs after similar ones we learned about in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Azerbaijan...."

 
Madecasse chocolate
Third Goal Expos to Showcase Returned Volunteers Nationwide

NPCA, Peace Corps and NPCA member groups are kicking off the next 50 years of Peace Corps by focusing on the "third goal" of Peace Corps: bringing the world back home.

A series of four Third Goal Expos - events open to the Peace Corps community, the general public and, especially, educators - will showcase the countries and cultures where Peace Corps Volunteers have served and highlight Volunteers' experiences and projects. The Expos will feature Peace Corps' Speakers Match, Correspondence Match, and Coverdell World Wise Schools programs and showcase ways that educators and returned Volunteers can share Peace Corps experiences in classrooms and communities.

Expos will be held in Nashville, Tenn., Minneapolis, Minn., Los Angeles, Calif., and Providence, R.I. and all are free and open to the public.  See you there!.
 
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Did You Know?  NPCA Has Global Ed Resources for You
 
We often say here at the NPCA that Peace Corps' Third Goal is our First Goal. And we've got our long-standing global education program (16 years and counting) to prove it!

In addition to an extensive website and a monthly e-newsletter, we produce a quarterly newsletter that offers educators, RPCVs and community members in depth articles, lesson plans, educational resources and professional development opportunities to help you bring the world back home.

A key feature of each issue is a lesson plan building off articles in WorldView magazine. The Spring 2012 issue was just published today! We invite you to click on "forward to a friend" to share this with an educator. Our global education resources are free with your membership to NPCA. Please join us today!

Jobs, Volunteer Assignments, on the NPCA Jobs Site
 
Looking for a job? Interested in a meaningful volunteer assignment overseas?  Want to hire a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer?

Check out National Peace Corps Association's public online job site -- jobs.peacecorpsconnect.org -- specifically for the Peace Corps community and those looking to recruit Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for positions.

Right now, there are eight new Encore Service Corps volunteer positions in East Africa waiting to be filled.

RPCVs can also post their resumes so that they will be seen by employers looking for the unique skills that RPCVs possess. Tell your friends! Tell your employers! Hire RPCVs!
 
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"And the Winner Is...": RPCV Discovers Life is Not a Cartoon
 
Work for the National Peace Corps Association for a few years, and you start to get a little cocky in your knowledge of Peace Corps community arcana. But occasionally we are genuinely surprised. (And believe me, we LOVE to be surprised.)

For example, Taylor Hackford (Bolivia, 68-69), director of the bio-pic "Ray" is not the only Returned Peace Corps Volunteer to ever win an Academy Award. Shortly before this year's Oscars, we learned of another....
 

ISO Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
 
The Goal: Find every Peace Corps Volunteer and Staff Member. All 250K of them.

NPCA added over 3,900 individuals to the community during the 50th Anniversary year and many of our member groups now have incredible lists. To carry this momentum forward, the NPCA would like to identify an additional 10,000 RPCVs by September 22, 2012 and have all RPCVs identified by 2016. Read more about our Find the 250K effort in this  National Journal article. Then click the link below to fill out a form and be counted. Pass it on to your Peace Corps friends. 
 
IN THIS ISSUE
Record Signature on Peace Corps Letters

Peace Corps Connect: Minneapolis 2012

E-News Mini-Survey Results

Remembrance: Kevin O'Donnell

Why Everyone Should Join #RPCVChat

Third Goal Expos

NPCA Has Global Ed Resources for You

Jobs, Volunteer Assignments

Another RPCV Oscar Winner

ISO Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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SPRING IS HERE... TIME FOR A NEW T-SHIRT!

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Our online store offers a wide selection of Peace Corps and NPCA logo merchandise -- and yes, the much requested Peace Corps patch! 

 

Wearing logo merchandise is a great way to spark conversations about Peace Corps! Your purchase supports the efforts of the National Peace Corps Association.  

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Be "green" and do good! Donating your used consumer electronics is a safe and responsible way to re-purpose your no longer used consumer electronics while helping the NPCA further its mission worldwide. It's easy!

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OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY

Commemorative Poster
It was a doodle that became an iconic Peace Corps recruitment poster in the early 1970s.   
 
Now, updated by the artist, Gary Jameson (RPCV Turkey), to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, you can own a piece of Peace Corps history. 
A very limited number of these signed and numbered screen-printed posters are still available for purchase. Cost: $75.00. 
 
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DO GOOD,
EAT CHOCOLATE

Madecasse chocolate Madécasse makes world-class, award-winning "bean-to-bar" chocolate in Madagascar -- where the RPCV company founders Tim McCollum and Brett Beach served. Each bar produces more than four times the economic impact of fair trade alone.  

 

Try one of their extraordinary products to benefit the National Peace Corps Association mission. Write "NPCA25" in the comment box at check out and NPCA will receive 25% of the proceeds of your purchase.  

   

Purchase Madécasse Chocolate  

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SEAVEES AND J.CREW HONOR THE PEACE CORPS
09/61 Volunteer Plimsoll
The 09/61 Volunteer Plimsoll was inspired by the September 1961 passage of the Peace Corps Act. SeaVees celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps by recreating a style from our early sixties roots.

Through an exclusive partnership with the National Peace Corps Association, SeaVees is making a donation for each pair sold to a planned Peace Corps commemorative in Washington, D.C.
SeaVees is proud to partner with the NPCA and support the ideals of the Peace Corps.

Click here for the new women's plimsoll! 

Click here for the men's shoe.
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GET OUT AND MEET SOME RPCVS!
 
Tripping
The National Peace Corps Association has partnered with Tripping.com to bring our members a custom, modern, online hospitality network. Tripping is a social travel site that connects travelers with local people for insider travel tips, shared cups of coffee and homestays in over 175 countries. Be a host, or contact a host. And always, share your stories.

Join the Peace Corps Tripping Community today. 

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