July Newsletter: Now is the time for this critical symbol of unity and partnership
Dear Supporters,
“Peace requires the simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human beings is more important and crucial than what divides us.” – Sargent Shriver
The Peace Corps’ founding director spoke those words more than 20 years ago, yet they are as relevant today as ever. The recent attempted assassination of former President Trump, provoking – at least momentarily – bipartisan calls for national unity, underscores the palpable divisions in our country and the urgency to come together despite our differences.
In his 2021 book, The Call to Unite: Voices of Hope and Awakening, Sargent Shriver’s son, Tim Shriver, urged “We need more uniters now, because we’re caught in a crisis of division.” He asks “How can we move from a culture that divides us to a culture that unites us? The call to unite…is a voice sounding inside of us. In every crisis, if we listen to our hearts, we can hear the call to unite. It’s what invites us to hope. It’s what guides us to love. It’s what sustains us on the journey to justice.”
I firmly believe that, once created, Peace Corps Park will serve a meaningful role in restoring national unity by reminding Americans of the core values that we have in common, and the importance of partnership for the common good. It will fill a void in our nation’s story, told almost exclusively by Washington's tapestry of memorials dedicated to the leaders and citizens who served and sacrificed defending freedom. Peace Corps Park will present a different narrative, that of our steadfast commitment to people-to-people service and global citizenship at a critical time in our history.
The Park’s welcoming space and digital companion will not only honor the past, but will inspire future generations to engage in service that transcends borders. The design is a physical manifestation of the American ideals of friendship, peace, and understanding: Three outstretched arms reaching out to the world. It serves as a reminder of the more than 250,000 Americans who have carried these values across the globe through the Peace Corps, and who continue to make a difference within their local communities upon their return.
The anticipated approval of Peace Corps Park’s final design by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts this September will mark a pivotal moment in this landmark initiative’s development, setting the stage for groundbreaking in 2025. Dedication of the park in 2026 will not only celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Peace Corps but will also coincide with the 250th anniversary of America's founding, symbolizing a commitment to volunteerism and global cooperation – a cornerstone of American values.
Indeed, we need more uniters. We need more changemakers, more innovators, more consensus builders, more visionaries, more social entrepreneurs, more community leaders, and more public servants who have experienced the transformational power of service and partnership.
Thank you for being a uniter.
Yours in service,
Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Foundation
President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association (2013-22)
RPCV Guatemala (1988-91)
PS: If you’d like to read Tim Shriver’s book, The Call to Unite, drop me a note and I’ll send you a copy, courtesy of Tim and me.
GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org
Igniting the Flame for National Service
On June 21, Peace Corps Foundation Advisory Board Chair and former Director of the Peace Corps Jody Olsen participated in the Service for America Summit at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The goal was to bring notable leaders together to advance the promotion of military, national, and public service. President Joe Biden recognized the significance of the gathering in an official letter, writing, “As you gather for the Service for America Summit, I want to thank you for your commitment to making sure our democracy endures. You remind us that there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.”
The event, jointly organized by the Selective Service System (SSS), Department of Defense (DoD), AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), gathered more than 150 leaders and subject matter experts from federal and state government agencies, as well as the nonprofit and the private sectors. It included a service leadership panel featuring SSS Acting Director Joel Spangenberg, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn, Michael Smith, Chief Executive Officer of AmeriCorps, Ashish Vazirani, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at DoD, and Veronica Hinton, Associate Director for Workforce Policy and Innovation at OPM. They discussed key priorities to enhance young people’s awareness of service opportunities.
Image of (and shared by) AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith on X from the Service to America Summit.
“It renewed my passion for all of us to volunteer, to serve,” says Dr. Olsen. At the conference, Peace Corps Deputy Director David White shared these inspirational words: “We believe…in national service…we know its transformational power to build connections to see beyond our differences. But we are witnessing fewer Americans willing to answer the call to serve. We must reignite that flame of national service in this newest generation of leaders who will inherit the world we leave them.”
With the number of applicants falling far short of the global demand for Peace Corps Volunteers, Peace Corps Park couldn’t be more timely and essential to achieving the Summit’s ambitions. It will tell the stories of service to visitors for generations to come, who will be reminded of the compassion, generosity, and sense of partnership that motivate Americans to serve their country in the cause of world peace and human welfare.
Peace Corps Park Design Spotlight
A key design element that will be included in the anticipated approval by the Commission of Fine Arts in September is the landscaping conceived by our partner Michael Vergason Landscape Architects. The team at MVLA has designed a welcoming parklike setting to create a contemplative and inspiring space with more than 1,200 trees and plants representing more than 20 species and varieties.
The National Capital Planning Commission asked us to use only native species, which MVLA was able to achieve, with the exception of three species: Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ Cherry Laurel, Galanthus elwesii Snowdrops, and Scilla siberica Siberian Squill, which were selected for their dependable performance in urban garden settings.
A majority of the plantings are part of two biofiltration basins that will serve as pollinator gardens using native plants such as milkweed, Clethra and Itea that attract and nurture the monarch butterfly and other important species. Many pollinators couldn't be considered because of the National Park Service’s concerns about maintenance, so finding hardy native varieties was especially important.
And, of course, with seasonal plants come leaves and other debris, so the team found a low-maintenance solution in the willow oak, which has long, narrow leaves that scatter easily in the wind.
We will continue to share details about the Park’s design and the thoughtful, intentional work of our Design Dream Team, which has been exemplary in working around the many considerations that have gone into this project.
San Miguel to Slater, MO: Bringing the World Home
Some 35 years ago, my wife, Cathy, and I arrived as Peace Corps Volunteers to the village of San Miguel Chicaj in Guatemala – a small community of beautiful Achi Maya indigenous people. They warmly welcomed and befriended us during our more than two years there, and we forged lifelong friendships. One person in particular, Rosenda, tutored me in the local dialect, which was indispensable to my agricultural work with women who spoke little Spanish. This past June, we had the opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality by hosting Rosenda and her daughter, Gabriela, during their visit to the U.S.
This is Peace Corps service personified: Building bridges of friendship across borders by promoting a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served and promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans – the Peace Corps’ second and third goals. Bringing the world home, literally and figuratively, through Rosenda and Gaby’s visit to my hometown of rural Slater, Missouri and beyond, is an expression of our shared values and belief in partnership around the globe. Peace Corps Park will exponentially increase the impact of the Peace Corps mission by telling these stories of service at home and abroad.
Other Ways to Support the Park
Want to make a significant contribution to the Peace Corps Foundation and our mission to create Peace Corps Park? A financial gift is one of the many ways to do so, and every amount makes a difference (especially if you can commit to a recurring monthly donation), but there are so many other ways you can help this project.
Consider offering your volunteer expertise to advance our cause: Whether researching and writing grant proposals, organizing a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with your RPCV group or cohort, or lending a hand with outreach and events, we welcome anyone who would like to be a part of this landmark initiative.
Tell us how you’d like to contribute by emailing us at info@peacecorpscommemorative.org.
Fundraising Update
We continue to gain momentum toward our goal of $10 million, with $4.1 million raised since our campaign began. And you can now follow along with our fundraising progress on the new donation tracker on our homepage! We gratefully acknowledge the following donors, who have made generous new contributions and/or pledges since June 27, 2024:
See our growing list of cumulative gifts to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation!
$100,000 - $249,999
F. Chapman Taylor
$10,000 - $24,999
Gerald and Marcia Faust, Sophie Faust, Scott and Stephania Faust Leeper
$5,000 - $9,999
William and Francis Irwin*
Lucas and Janet Parsch
$1,000 - $2,499
Susan Malick*
Friends of Nigeria
Michael Kavanaugh
Other gifts to $999
America's Charities*
Thomas Appel
Sarah Bluth
Bill Brock
Deborah S. and John F. Carter
Francis Catania
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Mary Katherine Crangle
Nathan Danielsen
Ellen Davis-Zapata
Peter V. Deekle
Emily Edwards-Dambach
Stephen Michael Ehret
Therese Glowacki
The Goldsmith Family
Leigha Groves
Shar Hellie
Erica Herrmann
G. David Hicks
Peter Hofman
Alan Johnston
Mary Langevin
Dennis Lazarus
Jeffrey Levine
Roni Lerner Love
Meryl Blau Menon
Robert Miller
Barbara and Bill Oppenheimer
Anna Prow
Alan Renninger
Eric Ries
Robert Smythe
John Sommerhauser
Howard Soroos
Pat Stocker
Dan Taylor
Karen Viskochil
Michael Waite
Linda Woessner
* New gift in addition to prior gift
PEACE CORPS PARK AMBASSADORS
(Donors making recurring monthly contributions of any size)
Anthony Carroll
Linda Barnett
Ellen Davis-Zapata
Elizabeth Downes
John Feighery
Ann Hopkins
Nancy Kelly
Laura Kettel Khan
Phil Lopes
Marty Mueller
Jessica Rogers
Kathleen Williams-Ging
Darrel Young
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
I continue to host small gatherings and meetings with key stakeholders around the country to build awareness of Peace Corps Park, and I’d love to connect with you or your group to let you know about the project and our vision for how it will bring our community together. Let me know if you’d like to arrange a meetup!
Aug. 15 Zoom Presentation - Friends of Nigeria
Aug. 20 - 25 Boston and Cape Cod
Sept. 30 - Oct. 3 Quebec City: Sierra Leone I Reunion
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
