March Newsletter: Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape

March 27, 2025

March Newsletter: Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape

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A stone block being shaped for the Emanuel 9 Memorial in South Carolina, at the Quarra Stone Company

Dear Supporters,


The journey to build Peace Corps Park has been a long and–dare I say–arduous process, but with design approval secured late last year, we are thrilled to find ourselves moving on to the fun part: Preparing to actually build this lasting symbol of our shared values in Washington, D.C.


Our stellar design team, under the leadership of Larry Kirkland and Associates and Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, has been hard at work planning the execution of this ambitious legacy project ever since we got the green light in October, negotiating with our project management team to ensure the Park can efficiently be realized to the highest standard.


The key takeaway to this moment is this: Peace Corps Park is no longer just an idea, no longer just a design or a concept on a piece of drafting paper. There is real stone to cut, actual inscriptions to carve, granite to texture for the world map, trees to plant. We are now able to start the actual work, fabricating the stone benches and pavers to be ready for groundbreaking at the Park’s site on Louisiana Ave., a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol building and the National Mall.


This moment also represents a new phase of our fundraising: With money being spent to begin the off-site work that will bring the design vision to life, it’s essential that we ramp up our capital campaign to ensure that no disruptions to the timeline are caused by a lack of resources.


The generosity of this community – including the leadership of our board, the partnership of RPCV groups, and the leading gifts we received in 2024 from Jacqueline Mars and Ces Butner – has advanced us almost halfway to our revised goal, and we know that it can get us to the finish line.


With regulatory and design requirements largely satisfied, we ask everyone in our community, as well as the people in your network who share our values of peace and global partnership, to do everything you can to help make Peace Corps Park a reality. Whether through a generous donation of your own, or by amplifying our messages with your networks over email or social media, every one of us can do our part to ensure that the Peace Corps legacy occupies a permanent place in our nation’s story, carved into stone to inspire future generations.


We appreciate your continued support, and are honored to have your partnership.



Yours in service,

An image of Glenn Blumhorst's handwritten signature

Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Foundation


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


GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

Increasing clarity on the path to Peace Corps Park

It was September 2020 that the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts first approved the design concept for Peace Corps Park, setting off a four-year process of refinement with various agencies and partners that culminated in final design approval in October 2024. 


Securing that final approval means that we are now in the construction planning process, getting everything aligned and ramping up our fundraising efforts to put chisel to stone and build our way to groundbreaking.


This phase is providing us with a more precise understanding of the costs for artwork fabrication, site construction and landscaping, and we will be revising our fundraising goal accordingly to ensure the park meets the highest standards and fulfills its ambitious promise.

A shaped and polished granite block for the Emanuel 9 memorial sculpted at the Quarra Stone Company

As part of the process, our team is also establishing a clearer timeline for Peace Corps Park, to anticipate what financial targets will have to be met to keep up with the outlays needed for all of the off-site fabrication that needs to be completed before breaking ground in 2026. Some key milestones on the road ahead:


  • Final construction documents
  • Bench and stone mockups
  • Specific granite selection
  • Stone fabrication
  • Hard construction begins
  • Completion and dedication
  • Commissioning


This timeline reflects our commitment to deliver a thoughtfully designed and meticulously crafted park experience, and we will continue to share our progress with you as the physical work proceeds alongside our fundraising campaign.


We are encouraged to have raised almost $6 million so far thanks to the generosity of this dedicated community, and as we enter this next phase of the process, we invite you to continue making an impact on this extraordinary endeavor. Together, we are shaping a lasting space that honors the profound legacy of the Peace Corps in our nation’s capital.

New exhibit puts Peace Corps on display


Our partners at the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience celebrated the opening of a new exhibit hosted at the International Peace Museum in Dayton, Ohio last month. Ubuntu in Action: Exploring the Peace Corps and Shared Humanity features artifacts, photographs, videos, and interactive exhibits representing the many facets of Peace Corps life.


The centerpiece of the collection, Patchwork of Peace (1990), is a nearly 30-foot-long community quilt made from individual panels that narrate a volunteer’s experience with fabrics and messages from around the world. The massive work is a living tapestry of collective memory and cultural expression, and a powerful embodiment of social cohesion that has resonated loudly with the exhibit’s visitors.


The Museum team marked the opening with an event on January 31 and are excited to receive anyone in the Dayton area throughout the duration of the show, which is scheduled to run until April 27.

Carol Spahn joins advisory board


The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s Advisory Board serves as a champion for Peace Corps Park and a valuable source of strategic insight. Members provide their professional expertise, diverse knowledge of community perspectives, connections to local, national, and international resources and many other forms of assistance. This month, we are honored to welcome former Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn to our team. See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.

An image of former Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn

Carol Spahn, who completed her tenure as director of the Peace Corps in January, has held executive positions in both the public and private sector, serving in numerous roles in the Peace Corps before assuming the directorship in 2021. She started her career at KPMG before joining the Peace Corps in 1994 as a small business development volunteer in Romania.


After her service, Spahn stayed in Romania with GE Capital, and went on to hold executive positions at Women for Women International, Accordia Global Health Foundation, and Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, before returning to the Peace Corps as country director of the Malawi program and then as Chief of Operations in the Africa Region.


The centerpiece of her tenure as Director was orchestrating the Peace Corps’ return to service in 2022 after the COVID-19 suspension, and she shared with us her motivation to join the Peace Corps Park team so soon after leaving the agency.


“We continue to see the ripple effects of COVID19, a period of tremendous disruption, isolation and loneliness. It’s my hope that the Peace Corps continues to inspire people to engage across differences and across borders.” she said. 


“Peace Corps Park represents America’s, and Americans’, commitment to people in some of the most remote and vulnerable communities around the world, and that needs to be celebrated.”


We are all honored by Director Spahn’s commitment, and look forward to having her expertise and perspective among our distinguished advisory board.

New website, same mission

A screenshot of the new Peace Corps Park website at peacecorpscommemorative.org

Today we are happy to announce an updated website on a new platform that will better support our fundraising efforts, so you’ll see some changes the next time you visit us at peacecorpscommemorative.org. 


We’ve made our Supporters page easier to navigate and find all donors by name, as well as donations made in tribute. We will honor every donor on our virtual donor wall, with their name etched in digital stone in perpetuity, their contributions a permanent part of the Peace Corps Park story. 


We’ve included more information about the Park’s design story, and built our newsletter archive back to the first edition, capturing the evolution of our project since the capital campaign began in earnest.


Help us amplify our impact by forwarding our emails to your network, or sharing a link to the new site and encouraging them to join us!

Fundraising Update


As the Peace Corps Park fundraising campaign approaches the $6 million mark, we gratefully acknowledge the following donors who have made generous new contributions and/or pledges since February 26, 2025.


See our growing list of cumulative gifts to Peace Corps Park

* New gift in addition to prior gift


$50,000 - $99,999

Eleanor R. Lewis in memory of Roger K. Lewis*

Maureen Orth*


$20,000 - $49,999

D. Wylie and Janet Greig*
Matthews Family Charitable Fund
Bob Vila


$10,000 - $19,999

George and Carol Chaffey


$5,000 - $9,999

Randolph Adams
G. Kenneth and Ann Baum 
  Philanthropic Fund
Tom Bloch and Jessica Wolfe
Karen Keefer*
Ruth O. Selig, William O. Selig and 
  Deborah O. Selig in memory of
  Roger K. Lewis
Robert and Judith Terry*


$1,000 - $4,999

Donald and Kae Dakin
Katherine (Kay) and Kevin Dixon*
Friends of Malaysia*
Edmond and Peggy Kavounas
Tim Lawler


Other gifts to $999

Anonymous
Barry S. Adamson*
Sierra Anderson
Skip Auld
Arlene Barilec
Kevin Cavanaugh*
Charities Aid Foundation of America*
Peter Cross
David and Audrey Fielding
Tim Frahme
Betty Gerner
Patrick Grecco
Jacqueline Hayes
Pete Helgren
Cindy Holcomb
Linda Howell Gray
Rita Hurley-Chiles
Carolyn Jacobyu
Ever Loved Inc.*
Taylor Kay
Rosemary KimBal
Louise Krumm
Michele Lagoy*
Russell Lawrence
Marlene Martin
Nancy McLure
Lawrence Miller
Mink-Ling Family Charitable Fund
Joyce Mary Moses
Paul Mullins
Alex Orland
Adrian Paul
PayPal Giving Fund*
Lynda Phillipp
Vernon Phillips
John and Eileen Quigley
Daniel Schall
William Selig
Laura Sofen
Daniel Sperling
Don Spiers
Floyd Thompson
Linda Vene

PEACE CORPS PARK AMBASSADORS

(Donors making recurring monthly contributions of any size)


Sue Aiken
Linda Barnett
Matthew Baysden
Rick Bird
Anthony Carroll
Ellen Davis-Zapata
Elizabeth Downes
Greg Emerson
John Feighery
Luis Garzon-Negreiros
G David Hicks
Peter Hofman
Ann Hopkins
Laura Kettel Khan
Roni Lerner Love
Phil Lopes
Deborah Manget
Cynda H. McMahon
Marty Mueller
Bill Piatt
Jessica Rogers
Robert Smythe
John Sommerhauser
Kathleen Williams-Ging
Darrel Young


Where is Glenn?

Chief Advancement Officer Glenn Blumhorst continues to travel the country – sometimes in his own airplane – meeting with Peace Corps community stakeholders across all 50 states. Whether you (or your group) are visiting our nation’s capital or hosting a meeting in your area, he is always happy to share the vision for Peace Corps Park in person and would love to connect. Reply to this email and let Glenn know if you’d like to arrange a meetup! Up next:


May 2-4    Albuquerque, NM: Peace Corps Bolivia Reunion (More info here)
June 1-4    New York City
June 11-15  Seattle
June 21*    Washington, D.C.: Donor Recognition Reception (date to be confirmed)

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 social media. Follow us and re-share our posts to help raise awareness in your network!


@PeaceCorpsPark on Instagram | @PeaceCorpsPark on Facebook | @PeaceCorpsPark on LinkedIn

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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February 28, 2025
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January Newsletter: Our values need champions, and your voice matters

January 28, 2025
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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
November Newsletter: Announcing a major gift in this season of thanks

October Newsletter: Final design approved by the CFA

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

News: Design approvals mark major milestone for Peace Corps Park

October 21, 2024
It is with great pleasure that we announce a major step forward in the timeline of Peace Corps Park, with final design approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts at its last meeting on October 17. The Foundation has been working tirelessly with the CFA since the site selection process in 2014 to refine our design approach, using creative problem solving to address feedback around the symbolic representation of the world map in the Park’s central plaza, the granite benches encircling it, the inscriptions carved into the stone, and many other aspects of the Park’s concept. Our expert design and landscaping team, led by Larry Kirkland and Michael Vergason, made countless refinements to the plan to ensure the best possible artistic and practical expression, some of which we have shared in our recent newsletters . We are thrilled to see the fruits of this collaboration, and are looking forward to finalizing the engineering plan to make the design a reality. Another critical stakeholder in this process is the National Park Service, which will maintain the Park in perpetuity once built. On Friday, October 18, the NPS issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Peace Corps Park, a precursor to obtaining final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which is expected to review the plan in its December meeting. With the Park’s design process in its final stages, we turn our attention to raising the $5 million needed to put shovels in the ground, and look to our generous and dedicated community to get us to groundbreaking and make Peace Corps Park a reality!
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