Advocacy

Time to Get Busy! The National Day of Action

By Jonathan Pearson on Thursday, March 1st, 2012

It’s March 1st.  The National Day of Action in Support of the Peace Corps is here.

As dozens of  NPCA advocates are on Capitol Hill, visiting every congressional office, we ask you to back up their efforts with phone calls and emails to your elected representatives.  Take the actions outlined below, and forward this action to others.  Please contact us at advocacy@peacecorpsconnect.org to let us know what lawmakers you contacted.

(Go to the bottom of this page if you want more information before taking action)

TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR SENATORS

  • Follow this link for contact information to phone or email your Senators.
  • If you are a constituent of Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) or Lindsey Graham (R-SC) follow this link for a special action.
  • For other Senators, ask them to:
  1. Please sign the Feinstein-Isakson Dear Colleague letter in support of strong Peace Corps funding in Fiscal Year 2013.
  2. Please co-sponsor Senate Bill 1421, Peace Corps commemorative legislation.  (If your Senator is already a co-sponsor, say thank you and urge them to lead efforts to pass this legislation).
  • If you are sending an e-mail to your Senators, you can use the sample message below as a guide.  We encourage you to personalize your message if time allows.

TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN

  • If you are not sure who your Congressman/woman is, visit www.house.gov and use the “Find Your Representative” link in the upper right corner.
  • If you are a constituent of Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY), Congresswomen Kay Granger (R-TX) or Nita Lowey (D-NY), follow this link for a special action.
  • For all others, call your Rep’s office or the Capitol Hill switchboard (202-225-3121) and ask to be connected to the office of your Representative.  If you want to send an email, visit your Reps’ website or follow this link to send your message (you may need your nine digit zip code for this link)
  • Ask your Rep to:
  1. Please sign the Farr-Petri-Honda-Garamendi Dear Colleague letter in support of $400 Million for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2013.
  2. Please co-sponsor House Bill 854, Peace Corps commemorative legislation.  (If your Rep is already a co-sponsor, say thank you and urge them to lead efforts to pass this legislation).
  • If you are sending an email to your Congressman/woman you can use the sample message below as a guide.  We encourage you to personalize your message if time allows.

SAMPLE LETTER

(Feel free to use this letter as a guide when writing to your lawmakers.  Make sure to edit so you use the appropriate references for the Senate and House. Personalize if you can.  Include your Peace Corps service and why you believe the Peace Corps is important.)

Dear ______

As a strong supporter of the Peace Corps, I am writing to urge you to take the following actions:

  • Please sign the (Senate/House) Dear Colleague letter requesting strong support for Peace Corps funding in Fiscal Year 2013.
  • Please co-sponsor (Senate Bill 1421/House Bill 854), bi-partisan legislation that would authorize a privately funded effort to establish a commemorative work near the National Mall that would mark the lasting historical significance of the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, and the ideals Peace Corps service represents.

As the Peace Corps community embarks on its next 50 years of service to our nation, your support for these two matters will recognize Peace Corps’ role in our evolving American story, and help provide resources that are necessary to support thousands of volunteers. The Peace Corps remains as one of our nation’s enduring expressions of global friendship and understanding.  More than 200,000 citizens have answered the call to service, while Returned Peace Corps Volunteers provide ongoing service as leaders in communities all across our country.

I thank you in advance for taking positive action to support the Peace Corps.

Sincerely,

(Your Name, Address and Peace Corps Affiliation/if applicable)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SUPPORT OUR CONTINUED ADVOCACY EFFORTS

Stay tuned over the next two weeks for updates on progress and further follow up action. Stay connected with NPCA Advocacy.  Follow this link to sign up for our NPCA Advocacy listserve. Finally, with folders and photocopies, telephone and internet connections, staff time and resources, the National Day of Action costs money.  The advocates on Capitol Hill are supported in part through the generosity of donations from our community. Keep sending advocates for the Peace Corps on Capitol Hill.  Make a special advocacy donation now.

Comments (3)

  1. Lee P Lundal said 445 days ago

    Perhaps someone reading this can help. After arrival to Colombia in 1964 all the members of our group were each given a booklocker which was jam-packed with a wonderful collection of books. Is there anyway of learning the content of those locker? Perhaps something in Peace Corps archives?

  2. Molly Mattessich said 445 days ago

    Hi Lee,

    Interesting question – one other place to pose this question is on our Social Network here: http://community.peacecorpsconnect.org/ in the Colombia group.

    Best,
    Molly

  3. wesley K. Mukoyama said 442 days ago

    As a former Peace Corps Volunteer (Tanzania 1965-67), Associate Director of Training (W. Samoa 1979-82) and Country Director (Solomon Islands 1998-2001), I have seen how Peace Corps has made a difference, not only in development but also in friendships around the world. Peace Corps remains a valuable tool in international relations and I urge you to continue funding so that we can spread good will to the world.

    Wesley K. Mukoyama

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