November Newsletter: Announcing a major gift in this season of thanks
Dear Supporters,
From the very beginning of this community’s effort to build Peace Corps Park, it has been clear that the project would resonate beyond the approximately 250,000 Americans who have served in the Peace Corps. We are thrilled and honored this month to announce a $500,000 contribution from the CesTRA Butner Family Foundation and its founder “Ces” Butner, an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Oakland, California.
Ces was not a Peace Corps Volunteer like his brother and sister, but he is no stranger to service: His generosity with both his time and financial contributions to his local community have proved Ces’s commitment to a lifetime of service, and we are deeply honored by his support.
You can read more about Ces below, but if you take anything from this news, it should be that the community of people who believe in the importance of a lasting symbol to the values of service and partnership in our nation’s capital is indeed broad. One need not have been a Peace Corps Volunteer to understand the impact our shared values can have on the world, so please don’t be shy when talking about this project–and your own reasons for supporting it–with your friends and family this Thanksgiving season.
Of course, leadership by the community of returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) continues to be a key driver of our fundraising, and we are excited this month to share updates on the grassroots efforts of groups within the Peace Corps community to make the Park a reality. We have been humbled by the self-organization of RPCV groups and specific cohorts of volunteers, and have initiated dedicated fundraising partnerships with some groups mobilizing their membership on our behalf. The momentum is building, and the generosity of this dedicated community will help get Peace Corps Park to the finish line.
As we approach the season of giving, and giving thanks, all of us at the Foundation are proud to count you among our community, and encourage you to reflect and take pride in your contributions to making Peace Corps Park a reality, whether by amplifying our message or making a donation yourself. We are stronger together, and this effort will ensure that future generations are inspired by the values of service and partnership, making this country and the world stronger in the process.
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)
GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org
P.S. - Read to the bottom to see which group was the first to hold an event at the Peace Corps Park site!
Ces Butner makes a $500,000 gift
This month we give thanks to the CesTRA Butner Family Foundation for its $500,000 donation to Peace Corps Park, our second gift of this size and an inspiring kickoff to our end-of-year fundraising campaign. “Ces” has encouraged our community to match the gift by the end of this year, and we invite everyone to answer the call with a tax-deductible donation.
Originally from my hometown of Slater, Missouri (population 1,700), Ces–whose brother Keith and sister Jolitta both served in the Peace Corps (Burkina Faso, 1974 and Belize, 1990-91, respectively)–was a standout high school student-athlete. He is now an entrepreneur and community leader in Oakland, where he founded the Horizon Beverage Company, growing the business for years before selling it in 2015 and funding his Family Foundation.
Ces also served for 12 years as a port commissioner and president of the board of the Port of Oakland and is a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Oakland #3, the third oldest of some 40,000 Rotary clubs in the world, having served as its president from 2020 to 2021.
The CesTRA Butner Family Foundation, created by Ces and his wife Teresa, has focused primarily on education, making generous contributions to schools and establishing scholarships and mentoring programs for students in Oakland, with almost $1 million disbursed annually.
His commitment to supporting and inspiring future generations echoes Peace Corps Park’s mission to inspire young people through the values of service and community partnership, and we thank Ces and his family for their support and generosity in honor of Keith and Jolitta Butner.
Kevin F. F. Quigley joins Advisory Board
This month, we are pleased to welcome Kevin F. F. Quigley to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s Advisory Board, whose members provide their expertise, knowledge of constituent perspectives, connections to local, national, and international resources, and many other forms of assistance to help fulfill the Foundation’s mission.
Kevin has a lifelong connection to the Peace Corps: He served as a volunteer in Thailand from 1976 to 1979 and was country director there from 2012 to 2015, and he served as president of National Peace Corps Association from 2003 to 2012. With his wife, Susan Flaherty, he is a Founding Director of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation.
Kevin has also served in numerous leadership and board roles for global development, international service, and higher education organizations.
He was president of Marlboro College and served on the boards of the New England Board of Higher Education, the American University of Nigeria, the American University of Afghanistan, Swarthmore College, and Parami University formerly of Myanmar. He recently joined the board of the Virginia Service Foundation. Besides senior positions at the Asia Society and the Pew Charitable Trusts, Kevin was a resident associate at the Carnegie Endowment and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
In addition to his Peace Corps connection, Kevin has a long relationship with the Fulbright Program: He was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Northeast Thailand and Laos in 2007, in Northern Thailand in 2022, and will be in Southern Thailand with the program in early 2025. He is the founding co-editor of Fulbright Chronicles, and has long been a champion of international partnership and global service. We are delighted to have his expertise to help ensure Peace Corps Park makes as great an impact as possible.
Storytelling that makes a difference
Storytelling has always been an important part of the Peace Corps’ “Third Goal” to help Americans better understand other cultures and peoples, and it will be a central component of the educational role of Peace Corps Park, helping both digital and in-person visitors get a broad picture of how volunteer service makes a better world. This month we highlight a few storytelling initiatives that support this mission.
Evaluating 50 years of impact
A little over a year ago, John Chromy (India 1963-65) began gathering narratives on programs where the cumulative efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers and their host country counterparts have become permanent elements in improving the lives of millions of people. Published posthumously, “When Small Things Make Great Things Possible” shares a 50-year perspective on 10 Peace Corps programs that demonstrate the lasting impact of service.
A notable memoir from an exceptional leader
Most people know Jody Olsen, a member of the Foundation’s advisory board, from her storied career in the Peace Corps–as a volunteer in Tunisia (1966-68), country director in Togo and Kazakhstan, and as director of the agency from 2018 to 2021–but like others who have lived an impactful life, there is much more to her than just the job titles she has held. Jody’s new memoir, A Million Miles, is an inspiring portrait of a life dedicated to service, one that has and will continue to shape our vision for Peace Corps Park.
Amplifying all voices
The Peace Corps attracts diverse Americans from all walks of life, and we are committed to ensuring that Peace Corps Park provides an inclusive perspective of what it means to be a volunteer. Our partnership with the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience will help us do just that, with its Many Faces of Peace Corps initiative. We encourage you to explore those narratives and to support the Museum and ensure that this important work can continue.
Building momentum at the grass roots
Across the country, groups of returned volunteers continue to organize and mobilize to build awareness of Peace Corps Park and to lend their voices to this landmark initiative. Their leadership underscores that Peace Corps Park is an effort of and by the community whose ideals it will enshrine.
The combined efforts of RPCV affinity groups have raised almost $26,000 so far, and we appreciate their support for this legacy project:
Charlotte Area Peace Corps Association
Friends of Korea
Friends of Malaysia
Friends of Nigeria
Friends of Sierra Leone
Inland Northwest Peace Corps Association
Kentucky Peace Corps Association
Northern California Peace Corps Association
RPCVs of New Jersey
Sacramento Peace Corps Volunteers
South Florida RPCVs
In addition to these country of service and geographic affinity groups, we recognize and celebrate the country cohorts who have self-organized to make generous gifts to Peace Corps Park. Their combined efforts have raised more than $46,000.
Colombia I, II, III, IV, VIII, XIII
Guatemala I, III, VII
Tanganyika I, II
Venezuela II
We are so thankful to have this community’s support, and welcome all RPCV groups and cohorts to join the effort and help make Peace Corps Park a reality! Reach out to Arianna Richard at arichard@peacecorpscommemorative.org to get more information on partnering on a fundraising campaign.
Fundraising Update
Thanks to the latest contribution from the CesTRA Butner Family Foundation, we are making significant progress toward our campaign goal of $10 million, with more than $5 million raised so far. We gratefully acknowledge the following donors, who have made generous new contributions and/or pledges since October 24, 2024:
$500,000 - $999,999
CesTRA Butner Family Foundatin
$20,000 - $49,999
Michael Vergason
$10,000 - $19,999
Friends of Pat Cloherty
Muriel and Scott Nichols*
$5,000 - $9,999
Friends of Malaysia
$2,500 - $4,999
James G. McGeorge
WattersFarfan Fund*
$1,000 - $2,499
James and Juliana Bancroft
Maureen Carroll
Barnett Cline
Nicholas Craw*
Katherine Crosson*
David and Connie Dupras
Patrick Fine*
Melanie Grant
Kentucky RPCVs
Nancy Kelly and Michael Hagan*
Marcia K. Lang and Jay Jackson
Charles R. Larson*
Franklin B. Price*
Jensy Patterson Richards*
Michael W. Tiernan
Other gifts to $999
Michael Abkin
America’s Charities*
Carl Bartone
Tal Beery
Joan Boyle
Jacqueline Butler-Diaz
Ann Rowe Church
Diana Donlon
Mary Donnelly
Father Henry L. Doyle*
Brendan Doyle
Barbara Dye
Patricia Edmisten*
Gizem Eren
Howard Fenton*
Henry and Jaki Florsheim
Bruce Fortin
Benjamin Friedman
Margaret A. Garber
Richard B. Geltman*
Pamela G. George*
Eric and Ana Maria Graber
Anna Grady
Joan Grant
Malie Carolyn Gray
George Hess
Wiliam Hetzer*
Michael H. Hirsh
George Johnston*
Rebecca Jones Munger
Dennis Kaltreider
Joan Kelly
Roy Kornbluh*
Iris Krieg
David Lambert
Colleen Lambert
Evelyn LaTorre*
Beatrice and David Leibson
Gloria B. Levin*
Alice Levine
Nancy Neaher Maas
Michael Maidenberg
Michael McLaughlin
June McMahon
Robert J. and Jane H. Meade*
Robin Moller
Julie Montgomery and Todd Sheffield
Nancy Morrin*
Betsy and Jon Rosenbaum*
Karen R. Proffitt
Diane Raymond
Donald Rogers
James Salvatore
Joseph Schoder
Larry Silvester
Michael Solovev
Teresa Somers
Richard and Harriett Swarttz
Daniel M. Taubman and Lizabeth T. Levin
Christina Tedder
Mary A. Thorne*
David Vancelette
David Venzon*
Ted Wachter
Leon Weintraub*
Christy Wyckoff
Edward Yates
* New gift in addition to prior gift
PEACE CORPS PARK AMBASSADORS
(Donors making recurring monthly contributions of any size)
Linda Barnett
Matthew Baysden
Rick and Karline Bird
Anthony Carroll
Ellen Davis Zapata
Elizabeth Downes
Greg Emerson
John Feighery
G David Hicks
Peter Hofman
Ann Hopkins
Laura Kettel Khan
Phil Lopes
Roni Lerner Love
Deborah Manget
Cynda H. McMahon
Marty Mueller
Bill Piatt
Jessica Rogers
Robert Smythe
John Sommerhauser
Penny Taylor
Kathleen Williams-Ging
Darrel Young
See our growing list of cumulative gifts to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation!
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
Peace Corps Park hosted its first (informal) reunion in October, with the Brazil XVI cohort inviting me to share our plans for the Park and joining me on a visit to the Park’s site next to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful event that gave me a preview of the many purposes that Peace Corps Park will serve once it’s built.
Members of the Peace Corps Brazil XVI cohort gather at the future site of Peace Corps Park in Washington, D.C. in October 2024.
Whether your group is visiting our nation’s capital or hosting a meeting in your area, I am always happy to share our ambitions for Peace Corps Park in person, and I’d love to connect with you. Reply to this email and let me know if you’d like to arrange a meetup! Coming up next:
Dec 6-9: Gulf Coast and South Florida
Dec 13-17: Northern California - Liberia IX Reunion
Dec 27-Jan 17: Arizona
Jan 9-12: Ohio
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
