October  2014 Newsletter                                              follow us on  Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  View our profile on LinkedIn  View our videos on YouTube 
White House Petition: 2,000 and growing!

A more peaceful foreign policy.  Global friendship, collaboration and understanding.  

It all begins with the Peace Corps and the Peace Corps begins with you.

Sign the White House petition urging President Obama to request increased Peace Corps funding in his next budget.  You are one click away from this two minute action!  We have until October 22nd to collect as many signatures as we can, so we ask you to...


(Share the link with family and friends!  Get them to sign too!)

Peace Corps Equity Act - Seeking More Signatures as Key Decision Approaches

Over the past year, thousands of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former staff have signed a statement of support calling for equitable treatment for Peace Corps Volunteers in regards to pregnancy termination in the narrow instances of rape, incest or life endangerment.

A final decision on language to treat female volunteers the same as others serving our nation overseas will be pending when Congress returns after the November elections.  As that decision approaches, we want to bolster our position with even more names on the Peace Corps Equity Act Statement of Support.

  • If you have not yet signed the Statement of Support, please take this quick action now!
  • If you have signed the Statement of Support, share this link with other RPCVs or former staff you know and urge them to sign.

While we urge signatures from all around the country, we are especially seeking dozens of additional signatures from these states: Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.  

Health Justice Meetings

This past month, NPCA hosted a meeting featuring Nancy Tongue, the president of one of our newest member groups,Health Justice for Peace Corps Volunteers . This was the first step in a growing effort to see how we as a community can be more responsive to fellow volunteers who face highly challenging circumstances.  Read more here.


Ebola Relief Fund Established

In recent weeks, NPCA helped bring together three RPCV member groups representing three west African nations most impacted by the Ebola virus.  The result is the creation of an Ebola Relief Fund where 100% of the tax-deductible proceeds will go towards addressing the crisis using first-hand knowledge from the affected nations.  Learn more.
 

RPCV Group Helps Confirm Sierra Leone Ambassador

Earlier this year, the Peace Corps community rallied for the confirmation of the new Peace Corps Director.  Now, we congratulate the Friends of Sierra Leone, which helped secure the confirmation of John Hoover as that country's new ambassador.  The group engaged in a petition drive and outreach to individual Senators.  Hoover was confirmed in September, ending a vacancy of more than a year. 

World Food Day Awareness Includes Notable RPCV Essay

Our global advocacy issue of the month involves the promotion of World Food Day, which will be recognized on October 16th.

World Food Day raises awareness of the more than 800 million people who live in chronic hunger. Resources include RPCV Tony Hall's (Thailand 1966-67) featured essay on building a food secure future.

Featured Advocate: Blair Wrangham

Although still quite new to advocacy, RPCV Blair Wrangham (Honduras 2009-11) of Charlotte, North Carolina has come out strong!  

Blair contacted us upon learning about our district meetings advocacy initiative.  We provided her with some key resources and contacts...and she took it from there! Her hard work and dedication make her an excellent choice for our October Featured Advocate.

PENNSYLVANIA BOUND
November advocacy stops in Philadelphia (Nov. 8th) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 15th) are confirmed, and a lot of other stops are in the works. Look for more news in the coming weeks!

PEACE CORPS FAST FACTS
Planning a meeting with your congressman? Check out Peace Corps' fast facts page for talking points and other resources.

IN MEMORIAM
We honor members of the Peace Corps community who we have lost in recent months. More here.
DISTRICT MEETINGS RECAP
Our sincere thanks to all of the volunteers across the country who led another successful August/September district office advocacy initiative. You can see some of these efforts in our photo album.

MEMBER GROUPS
We don't know what we'd do without our member groups! Check out all the wonderful work they've been doing here.

COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN
Federal Employee? Support the NPCA during the Combined Federal Campaign. Our CFC#  is 11708.

PEACE CORPS CONNECT - NORCAL
Members of the Northern California Peace Corps Association are already hard at work as they begin to plan for our next national gathering.  Mark your calenders. Peace Corps Connect will be June 5 - 6. 

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with all things related to the NPCA, the Peace Corps, RPCVs, member groups and more on Facebook or tweet us @pcorpsconnect.

NPCA STORE
Mugs! bags! T-shirts and more! Check out the NPCA store and get some gear.
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THE NEXT STEP IN CHANGING THE WORLD

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