March Newsletter: Full Speed Ahead

March 28, 2024

March Newsletter: Full Speed Ahead

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Dear Supporters,


I am excited to write today with some great news on our latest fundraising effort. Last month we announced a $500,000 gift commitment for Peace Corps Park from Mrs. Jacqueline Mars, provided that we raise an equivalent amount to match. In the four weeks since, we have met the first $250,000 of the challenge and are well on our way to matching Mrs. Mars’s entire gift! The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation board of directors and advisory board led the way, with dozens of others responding enthusiastically and giving our campaign heightened momentum.


Meanwhile, Foundation board directors and our Peace Corps Park design team convened in Washington, D.C. with the National Park Service, as the final design is refined to perfection. Details like the placement of inscriptions on the granite benches, selection of lettering font, and accessibility measures are now nearly finalized. We anticipate approval of the final design by the National Park Service and U.S. Commission of Fine Arts within the next few months.


The Peace Corps Park team has expanded, too. Partnering with the design team, world-class stone letterer Nick Benson has been called on to carve the inscriptions onto the Park’s three granite benches. I’m delighted to also share that the Foundation has hired Arianna Richard (Eswatini 2019-21) and Greg Emerson (Peru 2002-05) to lend their expertise to the campaign. They join a cadre of volunteers including Jocelyn Cordell, Aida Downing, and Nancy Kelly (South Korea 1979-81) who give generously of their time and talent.


Finally, I must underscore the tremendous commitment of the Foundation’s board of directors and advisory board to the campaign for Peace Corps Park. Their exemplary financial, technical, and visionary leadership has been indispensable to our mission. Board Chair Roger Lewis alone has contributed an estimated 10,000 hours of professional services to the Foundation during his 15+ years of involvement. 


You, too, can be an integral part of this legacy initiative by becoming a supporter - a gift of any amount will make a difference, and your impact would be multiplied by becoming a recurring donor. Thank you to everyone who has generously supported our mission so far!


Join me and thousands of others who are leading the way to bring the Peace Corps community’s flagship project to fruition. Your generosity is your legacy!


Yours in service,

An image of Glenn Blumhorst's handwritten signature

Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation


President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association (2013-22)
RPCV Guatemala (1988-91)


GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

PCCF Welcomes New Advisory Board Member

Our advisory board serves the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation as a champion for Peace Corps Park and a valuable source of strategic insight. Members share their gifts in service to the Foundation's mission by providing their professional expertise, diverse knowledge of constituent perspectives, connections to local, national, and international resources, colleagues or peers, philanthropic support and many other forms of assistance. This month, we are excited to welcome former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to the PCCF Advisory Board. See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.


Tom Wolf was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor on January 20, 2015 and served two terms, leaving office on January 3, 2023. Before that, he served as Pennsylvania state revenue secretary under Gov. Ed Rendell from 2007-2008. He grew up in a small south central Pennsylvania town in York County and left to attend Dartmouth College.


Wolf interrupted his studies to join the Peace Corps and served two years (1968-70) in a small village in India before returning to finish his undergraduate degree in 1972. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of London and a PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 


While finishing his PhD, Gov. Wolf worked as a forklift operator and warehouse worker in the family business, the Wolf Organization, a distributor of lumber and other building products based in York, Pa. After graduating, his first full-time job was running a Tru-Value hardware store in Manchester, Pennsylvania. He later went on to buy his family business.


Wolf interrupted his studies to join the Peace Corps and served two years (1968-70) in a small village in India before returning to finish his undergraduate degree in 1972. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of London and a PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While finishing his PhD, Gov. Wolf worked as a forklift operator and warehouse worker in the family business, the Wolf Organization, a distributor of lumber and other building products based in York, Pa. After graduating, his first full-time job was running a Tru-Value hardware store in Manchester, Pennsylvania. He later went on to buy his family business.

Nick Benson Sees the Writing on the Wall

We anticipate that renowned stone letterer Nicholas “Nick” Benson will join the Peace Corps Park design team to carve the inscriptions on the three granite benches. Given the nature of the Silver Cloud granite selected for the benches, our design team has determined that hand carving – as opposed to sandblasting – will likely produce a sharper and more elegant lettering. Nick is among the world’s top stone carvers and we are elated that he will soon carve some sample lettering for evaluation.


Nick is the owner of the John Stevens Shop in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1705, the shop specializes in the design and carving of lettering in stone. Nick attended the School of Design in Basel, Switzerland in 1985 for an intensive foundation study of calligraphy and letter form design. In 1993 he took over ownership and management of the shop. His work includes the design and carving of inscriptions on many national civic memorials. He has also designed and carved inscriptions for many notable universities, institutions and prominent private families. In 2007 Benson received the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship and in 2010 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. In 2013 he began designing and carving symbolic texts in contemplation of the mathematical and informational languages used to communicate in the Information Age.

Help Shape the Peace Corps Museum

Our collaborators at the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience seek your input in their strategic planning process. Help shape the future of the Museum by sharing your thoughts about the visitor experience in this 5-minute survey. All participants will be entered to win a catalog from the Museum's recent Posting Peace exhibit.


The Museum will be a primary contributor of curated content to Peace Corps Park’s “digital companion” to help tell the Peace Corps story. Moreover, we believe that the world needs more cultural institutions focused on peace through understanding. If you'd like to learn more about joining the Museum's volunteer team or contributing to the Museum, visit their website or contact them at info@peacecorpsmuseum.org. 

Fundraising Update


We continue to make great progress toward our campaign goal of $10 million, with more than $3.5 million raised since our campaign began. The response to Mrs. Jacqueline Mars’s challenge to match her $500,000 gift commitment has been overwhelmingly encouraging, drawing an additional $250,000 to match it. The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who have made generous new contributions and/or pledges since February 22, 2024:


See the full list of cumulative gifts to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation on our website.


$50,000 - $99,999

Thomas and Patsy Lightbown*
Sargent Shriver Peace Institute


$25,000 - $49,999

Tony Barclay*


$10,000 - $24,999

John and Analia Earhart*
Hon. Joseph Kennedy, III and Lauren Kennedy*
Mary Sue McNeill
Josephine “Jody” Olsen*
Jack and Angene Wilson*


$5,000 - $9,999

Deborah Crippen*
Daniel Duff*
Susan Corcoran Hayes*
Eleanor Lewis*
Donald R. and Haideh N. Lightfoot
Robert Terry and Judith Whitney-Terry*
Aaron Williams


$2,500 - $4,999

Michael Graglia
John Lewis
Amanda Lewis
Raymond and Judith McGuire*


$1,000 - $2,499

Dr. Jack E. Allison and Mrs. Susan Wilson*
Antoinette and Frank Almaguer
Keith and Carol Beck
Brad Carmines
Christopher Costa
Charles L. Donahue
Hon. Sam Farr*
Bonnie Gottlieb*
Steven Graham
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Nancy Kelly*
Amanda Lewis in honor of John Lewis
David Liner
Dennis and Pamela Lucey
Anthony Marino
Wilson K. and Gwyn H. Mason*
Virginia McArthur*
Judy and Skip McGinty
M. Peter McPherson
Vivian Morgan-Mendez
Hyon and Timothy O’Brien
PayPal Giving Fund
Mark Richardson
William and Beverly Ricker*
Lex Rieffel*
Jerri Rush
Nancy Tiedeman and
  Walter Mau
June Wiaz and Barry Moline
Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez
Kermit Leslie Young


Other gifts to $999

Vicky Barrette
Mary Adams
Arthur Albores
Alice Alexander
Bruce Anderson
Cheryl Anderson
Thomas Appel*
John Baird
Michael Banister
Pamela Bansbach
James Barborak
Linda Barnett
Dr. Lowell Barr
Michael Basile
Amanda Beck*
Carol J. Begeson
William P. Brandon
Peggy Bromley
Gay Brookes
Michelle Brooks*
Chris Carlisle
Charlie Carreras
Anthony Carroll*
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Jonathan Cohanne
Jac Conaway
Ron Cox
John Douglas Cuillard
Barbara Daly*
Arthur Davis
Ellen Davis-Zapata*
Kerry Dinneen
Janis Droegkamp
Peggy Dugan
Debbie Durham
Amy Earle
Ellen Field*
Kenneth E. Flies
Rose Ann Foreman and
  Kenneth Sherber
John and Ellen Geiger
Richard Geltman
Sharen Gendebien
Richard N. Goldsmith
Eric and Ana Maria Graber
James and Patricia Gregoire
Blanche Griffin
Erika Harris
Jennifer Hawthorne
Patricia Helin
Elisabeth Hinshaw-Osgood
Grace Holt
Stephan Honore*
Benjamin Hubbard
Hannah Jiang
Linda Johnson
George Johnston*
Judy Joly
Barbara Jue*
William Jurkiewicz
Mary Kacen
Peter Kilmarx
Sharon R. Kinnear
Sarah J. Klinghammer
Howard Koons
Gary and Judith Kreyer
Michele Lagoy
Ellen Lanahan
Karen Larson
Burt Lazarin
Wade and Kimberle Linder
Arthur Thomas Linnell
Loretta Litke
Phil Lopes
Jack and Mary Madill
Rita A. Mays and Blaine McCutcheon
Patrick McCarthy
Bruce and Stormy McDonald
Sarah McMeans*
Barbara Meyer
Diana Meyers
Janice Miller
John C. Miller
Ann Moore
Deborah Most
Marty Mueller*
Wesley Mukoyama*
Alan Nathan
Jonathan Newell
Donella Novak
Aixa Nuno
Gregory O'Connor
Dian Odell
Vincent O'Hern
Barbara and Bill Oppenheimer
Richard Parker*
Donald Pattillo
Jerry Payne
Ann Pekarske Sager
Joseph Permetti
Tyler Posey
Reed Rambow
Maureen Reidenbach
Eric Ries
Rona Roberts
Bill Roelofs
Margaret Runnakko
Kathleen D. and James A. Russell
John H. Salem
Thomas M. Scott
Dr. William Seraile
Eugene and Kathleen Severens
Kathryn Shaw-Gardner
Steven Sheridan
Lawrence Shirley
Thomas Sinclair
Judith A. Smith
Robert Smythe*
David Snyder
Sheri Stonier-Montoya
Robert Sturm
Richard Swarttz
Robert and Carolyn Tafelski
Michael L. Telson
Evelyn Ternstrom
Carol Theil
Theodore A. Thompson
Charles and Carole Wallgren
Ruth Whitney
Sandra Wilcox Kuritsky
Jerry and Marcy Withrow*
Darrel Young*
Allene Zanger*
Gary Zimny

* New gift in addition to prior gift

Connect with us on social media


Whether or not you’ve been able to support the project with a donation, an easy way to amplify your impact is to give us a boost on your social media platform of choice! Follow us on any of the following networks, and re-share our posts to help raise awareness among your own community.

@PeaceCorpsPark on Instagram
@PeaceCorpsPark on Facebook 
@PeaceCorpsPark on LinkedIn
@PeaceCorpsPark on Twitter / X 


Connect with us in person


Throughout the year, I host small gatherings and meetings with key stakeholders around the country to build awareness of Peace Corps Park. I’d love to connect with you or your group in the coming weeks to let you know about the project and our vision for how it will bring our community together. Reply to this email and let me know if you’d like to arrange a meetup!


Apr 3-6    Kansas City
Apr 7-8    Fayetteville & Little Rock
Apr 14-20    Antigua, Guatemala: Guatemala VII, VIII, and IX reunion
June 9-12    San Francisco Bay Area
July 26-27   Washington, DC: Friends of Sierra Leone meeting


To get a preview of my presentation, check out this brief video overview of Peace Corps Park posted by the Friends of Sierra Leone on their website.

DONATE

PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org


PEACE CORPS COMMEMORATIVE FOUNDATION
Compassion   Generosity   Perseverance


Please note our new preferred mailing address:
5636 Connecticut Avenue, NW Ste 42143
Washington, DC 20015


The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation is the trade name of the Peace Corps Foundation,
a District of Columbia 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
EIN: 01-0554700

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Joe Kennedy III for Peace Corps Park: Peace Corps Park is about our identity as a nation

December 30, 2024
Dear Supporters, When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, trying to keep as low a profile as a six-foot tall red-headed American guy can, I remember a moment on a crowded bus when I felt a tap on my shoulder. A local man asked me, “are you from the Peace Corps?”, and told me that as a boy, his village didn’t have water until a Peace Corps Volunteer helped install a clean water system. He had never gotten the chance to thank that young man.

Kul Chandra Gautam for Peace Corps Park: Support the mission of peace and solidarity in Washington D.C. and the world

December 23, 2024
Dear Supporters, I write to you today as one of the thousands of Nepalis–and perhaps millions of people around the world–whose lives have been touched and transformed by their association with the Peace Corps.

Hon. Carrie Hessler-Radelet for Peace Corps Park: America needs Peace Corps Park, now more than ever

December 17, 2024
Dear Supporters, From my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa to my term as director of the Peace Corps, I have seen how lives are changed by people working together, through service, to further the cause of peace. That service is an important part of our nation's legacy. Americans have always stood for democracy, justice, equality, and service. The belief that what unites us is so much greater than that which divides us. The knowledge that, through service, we can create a better world together. These are the values that continue to draw people to our shores and reflect the best of America. Peace Corps Park is a space where stories of service will come alive—a place where we will celebrate the uniquely American spirit of Peace Corps dedicated to fostering understanding and building bridges of peace. It is a place where anyone, regardless of culture, race, faith, ethnicity, or background, can reflect upon the idea that we are all part of one human family. Peace Corps Park is more than a place on the map. It is a living, breathing testament to America’s compassion and perseverance in service of humanity. Please join me in ensuring that this symbol of the American idea becomes a reality, with a donation that will ensure future generations are inspired by the ideas that inspire us. Your generosity is not just an investment in a park; it is an investment in hope and the idea that, even in times of division, we can find common ground. That even when challenges feel insurmountable, we can persevere. That together, through compassion and action, we can create a world that reflects the very best of who we are. Many thanks for your support, and for your faith in the power of peace through service. Let’s work together to make our vision a reality. With warm regards,

Hon. Sam Farr for Peace Corps Park: Let’s give peace a permanent space in Washington, D.C.

December 10, 2024
Dear Supporters, When I was in Congress, they called me “Mr. Peace Corps” for my consistent advocacy on behalf of the agency that inspired me to 44 years of service in elected office. My two years in a poor barrio in Medellin, Colombia taught me how to listen to the needs of the people living around me to find real solutions to the problems felt by people in poverty everywhere. I learned that if someone has a safe place to sleep, access to education, and quality health care, then they have a chance in this world, and that philosophy has animated my lifelong commitment to service here in the U.S. The Peace Corps is a powerful idea that remains as bold as it was almost 65 years ago, and that boldness deserves a place among the monuments and memorials that decorate the landscape in Washington, D.C. Like me, tens of thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers learned how to hear, from listening in a foreign language and observing, from a place of total immersion, how to fix things abroad that also needed fixing back home. Our nation is stronger for it. Peace Corps Park is a ray of sunshine in a divided world, representing our belief that idealism gets results. Please join us in ensuring the Park becomes a reality at a time when we need to advocate loudly for our values . “Yes we can!” John F. Kennedy believed that telling the Peace Corps story back home was a lifetime commitment. I’m sure if he were alive now he’d still be saying, “Ask not what Peace Corps Park can do for you, but what you can do for the Park”. We are asking our community of supporters to help us raise the remaining amount needed to put shovels in the ground and to be part of the team that made this permanent symbol of peace and partnership in our nation’s capital a reality.  Thank you. Give peace a chance. Sam Farr Peace Corps Colombia (1964-66) U.S. Congress, D-Carmel, Calif. (1993-2017)

Invest in the future with Peace Corps Park on Giving Tuesday

December 3, 2024
Invest in the future with Peace Corps Park on Giving Tuesday Dear Supporters, Every year, the season of thanks encourages us to reflect on the things we are grateful for, but also to think about the future and the world we want to see. For Peace Corps Park, we are so grateful for the achievements of the past year–both in inspiring major donors like Jacqueline Mars and Ces Butner and in securing design approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts–and profoundly excited about the future. With more than $5 million already raised, the only real hurdle in this journey toward groundbreaking is raising the remaining funds for this meaningful project. On this Giving Tuesday, we invite everyone to make Peace Corps Park a central part of your giving plans with a tax deductible donation . There are many ways to give , and all of them will help bring Peace Corps Park to life in our nation’s capital. Most of all, your generosity will help us match Ces Butner's $500,000 gift before the end of the year and show how this community can rise to meet his challenge. At its most impactful, your charitable giving is an investment in the future: A way of saying “the world would be a better place if more people lived these values.” And while Peace Corps Park will commemorate the bold vision that JFK laid out when creating the Peace Corps almost 65 years ago, our mission is decidedly forward-looking. We believe the world is a better place when people from different walks of life partner with each other in service of a shared future, and that creating a permanent beacon to these ideals in our nation’s capital is a critical part of telling America’s story to the more than 25 million people who visit the National Mall every year.

November Newsletter: Announcing a major gift in this season of thanks

November 26, 2024
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October Newsletter: Final design approved by the CFA

October 24, 2024
September Newsletter: Peace Corps Community Leading the Way
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