The Commemorative will stand on a well-located triangular site in the heart of Washington, DC, within sight of the U.S. Capitol and near the National Mall, inviting visitors to stop and contemplate America’s commitment to helping others in the cause of making a better world and promoting peace.
January Newsletter: Important Updates from Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation
January 26, 2023
JANUARY 2023 UPDATE
Dear Supporters,
On behalf of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation (PCCF) board of directors, I am pleased to announce our monthly newsletter for friends and supporters of the Peace Corps Commemorative.
Our goal is to raise awareness of the Commemorative, keep you informed, and invite your active engagement in PCCF’s mission. In future newsletters, we’ll keep you apprised of ongoing project and fundraising progress as well as more on the Commemorative’s history, design and news.
2023 Will Be a Big Year for Advancing Design
First and foremost, I gratefully acknowledge the financial leadership that you have demonstrated in advancing the Commemorative through the early stages of design and approvals.
Since the commemorative congressional legislation was first signed into law in 2014, with your support, the PCCF Board of Directors has already raised or contributed $1.5 million toward our overall project budget of $10 million. This has allowed us to fund the intense upfront design and approval process.
With the design approvals in hand, we are moving into full-fledged fundraising mode, with the goal of raising the funds needed now to advance to the next stage of design development and the full $8.5 million in time to break ground in what we anticipate will be late spring 2024.
Visitors will share and experience this meaningful commemorative work that more fully tells America’s story within the National Capital landscape, inspiring them to carry on the American tradition of volunteer service.
PCCF Welcomes Glenn Blumhorst as Chief Advancement Officer
I would especially like to thank those of you whose gifts have allowed us to enhance our fundraising efforts. We are very pleased to say we have brought on Glenn Blumhorst (RPCV Guatemala 1988-91) as our chief advancement officer to lead the capital campaign.
We are fortunate to have the transformative leadership, dedication to service, and fundraising talent that he demonstrated in his role as National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) president and chief executive officer from 2013 to 2022.
This will allow us to expand our outreach and gain momentum toward achieving the remaining $8.5 million needed to cover all pre-construction design and engineering costs; direct construction cost; two-year fundraising costs; modest operational expenses; and a donation to National Park Service for its permanent maintenance endowment. The budget allows for inflation and contingencies.
Join Us in Expanding Our Outreach Efforts
PCCF is taking a "big tent" approach, seeking to engage Peace Corps community stakeholders in anticipation of the Commemorative’s fruition. Over the coming months, Board members plan to visit with donors and look forward to getting your thoughts on what the Commemorative means to you and how you would envision an interactive experience by visitors to the site.
We look to you to help us gain momentum by spreading the word among your own family, friends, and colleagues. In the coming months we will launch a series of activities and regional small gatherings to expand our reach – and welcome offers to host a gathering in your area.
Expressing Our Appreciation
We are at this pivotal moment today thanks to generous financial contributions, fundraising efforts and countless hours of time and talent donated over the last several years by the board of directors.
We are also grateful to and wish to acknowledge all our donors in a meaningful way. Of course, if you prefer to remain anonymous, we will respect that. Board members and Glenn Blumhorst will be reaching out over the next few weeks seeking your input on this and other areas.
Again, we welcome your active participation in the plans to bring the Peace Corps Commemorative to fruition. Let us hear from you!
With much appreciation,
Roger K. Lewis
President, PCCF Board of Directors
RPCV Tunisia (1964-66)
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
March Newsletter: Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape
February Newsletter: Now is the time to show our strength in unity
January Newsletter: Our values need champions, and your voice matters
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.
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
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,
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 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
September Newsletter: Peace Corps Community Leading the Way