March Newsletter: Important Updates from Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

March 23, 2023

MARCH 2023 UPDATE

Dear Supporters,

Greetings from sunny Miami! It’s always great to be out in the Peace Corps community, visiting with those of you who provide the generous financial leadership to advance the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s mission. I’ll be making my way up the eastern coast after a few days in south Florida. Next month, I'll be in California, then the northeast U.S. in May, and later that month in Chicago. We’ll be hosting small group gatherings and individual meetings with key stakeholders to update on the Commemorative’s progress and invite participation. I hope to see you at one of our events in Washington, D.C or around the country!

In service,

Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

New Board Members

The visionary leadership of a strong and dedicated board of directors is advancing the Peace Corps Commemorative project. This month, we officially welcome two new members to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Former Congressman Sam Farr, known affectionately by his colleagues as “Mr. Peace Corps” during his time on Capitol Hill, was a stalwart champion for the Peace Corps during his 24 years representing California’s Central Coast in the U.S. House. "Peace Corps represents the best of America" he would say, while urging his peers to increase Peace Corps' funding so more volunteers could serve.

"Peace Corps service is a life changer, for the individual, their family and the host country; it should never be forgotten. The Commemorative Park will be a lasting reminder."

Legislation that bears his name, the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018, aimed to improve access to medical care for volunteers, strengthen accountability and oversight, and enhance procedures to reduce the risk of crime in the countries where Peace Corps Volunteers serve. Farr was a community development Peace Corps Volunteer in Medellin, Colombia (1964-66).

Janet Greig is a lifelong advocate for international understanding and engagement and has been an indefatigable leader in the Peace Corps community. She served eight years (2009-17) on the board of directors of National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), including several years as treasurer. Her leadership was instrumental in reimagining NPCA’s business model and social mission while restoring its financial health following the Peace Corps' 50th anniversary celebrations. More recently, Janet has served as co-chair with Pat Wand and Ken Lehman of the Campaign for Peace Corps Ideals.

“The parcel of land adjacent to the National Mall that awaits the Commemorative is the perfect place to welcome folks to focus on Peace Corps and American values associated with cooperation and respect, as opposed to wars and war heroes.”

Janet and her husband, Wylie, are currently trustees of the Erik E. and Edith H. Bergstrom Foundation. They met, fell in love, and were married while serving as Peace Corps Volunteers in Andhra Pradesh, South India (1966-68).

See the full list of PCCF Board of Directors

Advisory Board Established

Our “big tent” approach is bolstered by the creation of an honorific Advisory Board that will provide leadership for connecting, informing, and engaging Peace Corps community members in bringing the Peace Corps Commemorative to life.

Former Peace Corps Director Josephine “Jody” Olsen, PhD, chairs the nascent Advisory Board, which will include former Peace Corps directors, former RPCV members of Congress, former RPCV governors, former RPCV ambassadors, and other distinguished Peace Corps community leaders.

Olsen began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Tunisia from 1966-1968. She later served the agency in multiple leadership positions—as Acting Director in 2009; Deputy Director from 2002-2009; Chief of Staff from 1989-1992; Regional Director, North Africa, Near East, Asia, Pacific from 1981-1984; and Country Director in Togo from 1979-1981. As the agency’s 20th director, in March 2020 Dr. Olsen oversaw the safe and efficient evacuation of over 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stay tuned as we invite and welcome new members to the advisory board.

Design Update

Thanks to the recent influx of generous donations, PCCF is now in a position to soon release the design teams, artist Larry Kirkland and Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, to undertake the essential design development phase, during which Commemorative site and artwork designs are developed in detail for approval by the Commission of Fine Arts. Those approvals will allow us to finalize construction drawings and specifications.

Over the coming months, we are hopeful that the PCCF will achieve our $8.5 million capital campaign goal. This not only will fund these final pre-construction phases, it also will enable ground-breaking and construction in 2024.

My recent visit to the Commemorative site shows just how close it is to the US Capitol and the National Mall. What a remarkable spot for visitors to gather, contemplate and be inspired by this meaningful representation of those American ideals embodied in Peace Corps service.

A portion of the conceptual design approved by the Commission of Fine Arts in November 2022.

Recent Contributions

Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who have made generous contributions and/or pledges in the last month:

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

$100,000 - $249,999

Jay Hellman*

$10,000 - $24,999

Rich and Susan Eyre

$5,000 - $9,999

Glenn and Cathy Blumhorst*

$1,000 - $4,999
Charles Hobbie*
Paul Sack

Other gifts to $999
Stephen Adolphus
Robert Bent
Steve Buckner
Paul Converse
Angela Harris
Alexis Rieffel
Clay Westcott

* New gift in addition to prior gift

Let's Connect

I look forward to connecting with you around the country, as we host small gatherings and meet with key stakeholders to build awareness of the Peace Corps Commemorative. My upcoming travel and events schedule:

March 23-27: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
March 28-30: Palm Beach/Delray
March 30-31: Tampa/Ft. Myers/Naples
April 20-24: Los Angeles area
April 25-31: San Francisco area
May 12-13: Vermont, New Hampshire
May 24-25: Chicago area

In service,

Glenn Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

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

GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

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

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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)

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