Helene Dudley accepts the 2013 Lillian Carter Award (Photo credit: Amber David Collins)

Yesterday, Helene Ballmann Dudley (Colombia 1968-60, Slovakia 1997-99) received the Peace Corps’ Lillian Carter award at a ceremony at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga.  The award is given biennially by the Peace Corps to a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who has “served in Peace Corps as a senior (age 50+) and shown a demonstrated commitment to the Peace Corps’ Third Goal: to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.” It is named after Lillian Carter — President Jimmy Carter’s mother, and the grandmother of Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Jason Carter (South Africa). “Miss Lillian,” as she was fondly known, served in India from 1966-68, having entered the Peace Corps when she was 68 years old.

Helene is a former board member of the National Peace Corps Association and has been deeply committed to Third Goal activities in South Florida, where she lives. She served as president of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida (RPCVSF) from 2004-2007 and continues to be an active board member. She also established the The Colombia Project, a micro-credit program that supports the Colombian community by connecting them with local grassroots organizations.

NPCA board vice chair Patricia Wand (Colombia 1963-65) was honored to serve on the review committee and said that it “was was inspiring to read all the nominations.” She attended the ceremony on behalf the National Peace Corps Association.

In an email after the ceremony, Helene wrote, “Thanks to Friends of Colombia and NPCA for their support over the years with the Ruppe Award, FOC donations and publicity through both organizations.” [Read a stories about Helene's efforts here and here.]

Following are Helene’s remarks from the ceremony:

Thank you, President Carter, Peace Corps staff and Carter Center Staff, to all my friends who have come from as far as Seattle.

A high school friend who is here today said ”The Carter family is an American treasure.” I agree and am extremely honored to receive an award named for Miss Lillian, an advocate for human and civil rights and volunteerism before serving in the Peace Corps. And it is also a great honor to receive that award from the former President, a true statesman, who, I believe exemplifies the best of America through his untiring work for world peace and human rights at home and abroad. We are all better off for the efforts of Miss Lillian and President Carter who often took courageous stands to do the right thing and who have well understood that if we want peace, we must work for justice.

I would like to extend a special recognition to the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida. I would not be receiving this award if they had not taken a risk to allow our group of former Colombia Volunteers to use their good name and credentials to set up a micro loan program back in 2000. While the average loan of $225 is small by U.S. standards, it is a significant resource for families with no access to traditional loans. IT provides an opportunity to increase family income and send children to school and even to college. As one loan recipient noted ‘ without programs such as ours, only the rich have access to credit in Colombia.’ To me, The Colombia Project is a beautiful example of the ongoing connection that Volunteers feel to their country of service. After 13 years, and over 1100 microloans, and with the assistance of new Volunteers in Colombia, we are now focused on a multi-year effort in conjunction with Rotary clubs, to transfer program responsibility to Colombia, in true Peace Corps fashion.

At its best, I believe the Returned Volunteer community functions like the South Florida group did for The Colombia Project and like Peace Corps did for us when we were Volunteers — by giving us credibility and supporting our individual efforts to advance core values of honesty, fairness, compassion and responsibility in order to make the world a better place, both at home and abroad. When I was president of the South Florida group, we created or expanded programs put forth by our members to serve South Florida’s immigrant community, to support education in Haiti, promote service learning in area schools and to support and promote fair trade to name a few. Peace Corps service gives us a broader human perspective and our home communities would be better off if returned peace corps volunteers were heard more forcefully through our words and actions.

When I was a Peace Corps trainee back in the 1960’s, we were admonished by several social activists to stay home and fix America first. I am glad I ignored that advice, since Peace Corps allowed me to step outside and see my country more objectively and as a result to better appreciate the importance of our political structure by introducing me to life in countries where the public good was not well served by the courts, law enforcement, government regulations and tax structure.

Peace Corps is just as relevant now as when President Kennedy made his initial call to service which is why I applied again at the age of 50 to go first briefly to Albania and then Slovakia as a Small Business volunteer. While we obsess on walls, and weapons and security systems to keep us safe, I believe strongly that the real path to security and peace is in building bridges of understanding, an enduring aspect of Peace Corps service. Peace Corps’ mission to promote world peace and friendship is still needed today, not only overseas, but also here in America.

Now is the time for the 210,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to answer that 60s call of the social activists and Miss Lillian and bring what we have learned back home to help America. As my generation lives out the retirement years, I hope that more of us will follow the Carter family’s example of civic engagement, social activism and volunteerism.

Bringing it back home involves helping Americans better understand our role in the world and better appreciate the realities of life in the developing world. The myth is that America suffers at the hands of the unappreciative throngs who abuse our generosity. On the contrary, what I have experienced is hospitality, caring and generosity from people with scarce resources. I can still picture the native Albanian Peace Corps staff helping the volunteers board evacuation helicopters as their own country slipped into chaos, even though the US Embassy closure left them with no apparent means of collecting their last paychecks. Often the media portrays the worst in people and in society. But most Peace Corps Volunteers tend to experience the love and humanity of our host country nationals. People struggling for a living and for freedom around the world still see America as a beacon of hope. That is not an empty phrase. People I met in Albania, Colombia and Slovakia worked tirelessly to replicate the U.S. model in the hopes of building a better society for themselves.

We owe it to them and to ourselves to roll up our sleeves, help to elect good representatives, lobby elected officials on behalf of just causes so they hear from someone other than self-interest groups, take a stand against hatred and bigotry like Miss Lillian did in her day. Dollars we donate are less important than how we spend our consumer dollars – spend a little extra to buy fair trade and products that respect the environment, subscribe to newspapers and magazines that report the news accurately even if we don’t have time to read everything, put our money in responsible banks that invests in small businesses and home owners. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, RESULTS, League of Women Voters, Rotary and other effective organizations. WE owe it to ourselves and our children and to those around the world who look to us for guidance and inspiration to make our country the best it can be.

Thank you… Thank you to my Peace Corps family for being here today. And thank you to Peace Corps and the Carter Center for making this award possible.

Congratulations, Helene, on this well-deserved honor.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. (credit: Tom Fitzsimmons/Kennedy Library Foundation)

Peace Corps Connect – Boston 2013 is just around the corner.  Among those helping to make it happen?  Our sponsors.  We are pleased that the first major sponsor of the annual gathering in Boston this year is the JFK Library Foundation.

President Kennedy greets Peace Corps Volunteers at the White House on August 9, 1962. (Credit: Rowland Scherman, Peace Corps)

“The Kennedy Library Foundation is pleased to support the National Peace Corps Association’s Peace Corps Connect event being held in our home city of Boston,” said Tom McNaught, Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “The Peace Corps was one of the most important achievements of John F. Kennedy’s presidency and he lives on in each lesson taught, school built, child healed, crop planted, well dug, and person touched by a Peace Corps volunteer. Their commitment to President Kennedy’s vision of service inspires us in our work here at the JFK Library every day. We hope that Returned Peace Corps Volunteers will visit the Kennedy Presidential Library while in town to celebrate their legacy.”

Would your organization also like to connect with and support the Peace Corps community?  Learn more about sponsoring Peace Corps Connect – Boston 2013. Sponsorship is an excellent opportunity to share your story and services with the broad RPCV community.

Plan to visit the JFK Library and Museum while you are in Boston.  It is the repository for the founding Peace Corps documents and also contains a fascinating collection of JFK papers, audio-visual materials, and memorabilia from his career and life.  The Library is open seven days a week from 9- 5.

See you in Boston June 28-29!

[Click here to learn more about Peace Corps Connect: Boston -- who's coming, what's happening, who's speaking, how to register and more!]

Christine O’Neill welcomes attendees to the April 29th advocacy workshop held at Washington University in St. Louis

By the time you read this, Christine O’Neill (Costa Rica 2007 – 11) will be days away from receiving her Masters in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.  ”I have no idea what’s next,” she said.  Our only hope is that (along with getting the job of her dreams!) part of Christine’s future includes continued involvement with the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) advocacy program.

Christine has been serving as the Advocacy Coordinator for the St. Louis RPCVs for the past year.  She has kept people informed of NPCA advocacy initiatives, helped coordinate district-based meetings with members of Congress and (most recently) organized an advocacy workshop during NPCA Advocacy Director Jonathan Pearson’s recent cross-country Trip-a-Palooza!

“I’ve had a lot of fun getting folks from the community to become more involved in talking to their legislators and talking to people about issues that are important to the Peace Corps.”

Engaging others in NPCA advocacy requires commitment, but it is intermittent, according to Christine.  ”It’s not something that every single week you have to dedicate hours to.  It’s more like every few months, you have to spend a few hours, and send some occasional updates in between.”

Christine with St. Louis RPCV group President Mike Murray

No matter what the level of commitment, a key requirement to any form of volunteer activity is a feeling of fulfillment.  Christine O’Neill says that has been her experience as St. Louis Advocacy Coordintor.  ”Sharing my story is something that is super rewarding to me.  To be able to inspire others, to be able to talk about why this matters, to try to make sure Peace Corps has a sustainable future and that we continue to make the impact (of Peace Corps service) in the future, I think that’s something that’s really important.”

Our thanks to Christine for her continued service through advocacy, and congratulations on her graduation!

AFGHANISTAN:

As part of the Washington state Apple Blossom Festival, Doug Head (1967-70) was honored as Grand Marshal of the 2013 Stemilt Growers Grand Parade in Wenatchee.

The honor recognizes Head’s nearly three decades of service to the community.  During that time, he has directed the Wenatchee Regional Office of the Children’s Home Society of Washington, which works to find loving homes for area children by connecting highly trained foster parents with emotionally and/or behaviorally troubled children.

An article in the Wenatchee World newspaper also cited the ongoing commitment of Head and his wife Lyn, in providing sponsorship and other support to children from Afghanistan.

CAMEROON:

Bradley University announced the awarding of a Fullbright Scholar Grant to Dr. Cecile Arquette (1987-89), Associate Professor of Teacher Education.  Dr. Arquette’s scholarship will take her to the Pontifical Catholic University in Valparaiso, Chile next year.  While at the university, she will be working with undergraduates studying to become English teachers.  Dr. Arquette also hopes to build stronger ties between the two universities.

CHAD:

The student government board of Delaware Valley College does not name individuals to its prestigious Hall of Fame on an annual basis.  Rather, the honor is bestowed only when someone meets the criteria of college loyalty, improving the student experience and improving the lives of others.  This year, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Jim Diamond (1971-73) received that honor.  A 1961 graduate, Diamond is former dean of agriculture. He also serves as an honorary trustee and national chair of the college’s planned giving committee.

In noting the honor, Diamond recognized his wife Betty Diamond, with whom he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad.  Speaking to phillyburbs.com, he said “I did not earn this honor alone. My wife, Betty, certainly played an important role in supporting me during my 47-year career that led to this award.”

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

The Hartford, Connecticut region of the YWCA appointed Monique Turner-Lopez (1991-93) as the organization’s new Chief Program Officer.

Turner-Lopez will be responsible for leading the implementation of a program vision that builds on the organization’s strengths, increases its capacity to address the emerging needs of women and families in greater Hartford and supports YWCA’s mission of empowering women and girls and eliminating racism.  She comes to the organization with more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the City Wide Youth Coalition in New Haven.

GUATEMALA:

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) named Brittany Sickler (2009-12) as an economic development specialist for the North Dakota District Office in Fargo.

A native of Bismarck, Sickler will conduct marketing and outreach for the SBA in southeastern North Dakota.  Prior to her Peace Corps service, she worked for ACCION USA in Miami as a marketing and outreach specialist.

MONGOLIA:

The University of Missouri named Mike Burden (2006-08) as one of the recipients of this year’s International Engagement Awards.  Burden, a senior information specialist in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), received the staff award.  He was honored for his work in developing multimedia content for CAFNR that will help promote research and teaching.  He has also taught journalism courses at MU and played an important role in coordinating the Third Goal International Film Festival held this past February.

NEPAL:

Dr. David Edds (1977-79) was honored by Emporia State University as the 2013 Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor.  Dr. Edds is a Professor of Biological Sciences, serving on the faculty at Emporia State since 1989.

The Cross award honors faculty for their scholarship, teaching and mentoring of students. A native of Kansas, Dr. Edds is extremely active within his community.  He coaches youth soccer and baseball, organizes aquatic ecology summer camps for several organizations and supports the Emporia Area Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Among other recognition associated with the award, Dr. Edds will be the speaker at university commencement ceremonies in December.

NICARAGUA:

Sara Skiles (2010-12) has been hired to serve as a Community Outreach Coordinator for the non-profit organization, Mississippi Health Advocacy Program (MHAP).  MHAP strives to be a strong, effective voice for improved health care for all throughout the state of Mississippi, especially those whose health is threatened by poverty, racism, malnutrition and violence.  Working within the Health Help Mississippi division, Skiles is the outreach leader in 20 different Mississippi counties.  She will work on health care advocacy and education, serving as a resource to Mississippians for their health care questions and concerns, with a focus on at-risk populations and lower socio-economic communities.

NIGER:

Kimberly Arth (1999-2001) is the new Director of the Angels Camp Museum in Angels Camp, California. The museum focuses on the history of the California gold rush. Arth comes to California from Arizona, where she worked as Education Manager at the Bead Museum in Glendale. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant at the Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology.

PHILIPPINES:

At Yale University, Peter Crumlish (1996-98) has been named the new Executive Director of Dwight Hall, a non-profit organization that features more than 85 student groups, engaging more than two-thirds of Yale’s undergraduate population in service and social justice activities.  Crumlish recently served as Director of Resource Development for the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven.  He also serves on the boards of the Calvin Hill Day Care Center and the Congo Leadership Initiative.

RUSSIA:

Melinda Reed (1995-97) is the new Executive Director of the Friendship Center in Helena, Montana. The center provides a safe haven and broad range of support services at no charge for anyone who has suffered domestic violence and sexual abuse. Reed’s past work with non-governmental organizations includes employment with Mercy Corps and the American Refugee Committee.

As tradition dictates, Gary Schulze is carried from home to the Court Barray to be installed as Paramount Chief in the Chief’s hammock. Behind him are section chiefs, traditional dancers and well-wishers.

It’s not every day that an American is made a paramount chief.

National Peace Corps Association board member Gary Schulze (Sierra Leone I 1961-63)  was installed as an honorary paramount chief at an impressive ceremony in Shenge, Kagboro Chiefdom, Moyamba District, Sierra Leone on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Gary had announced that he intended to accept the honor on behalf of all Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Sierra Leone and so Judy Figi (Sierra Leone 1964-66) and Peter C. Andersen (Sierra Leone 1967-68) represented Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Daryn J. Warner attended on behalf of Peace Corps Sierra Leone staff, and Meghan Welsh, Michael Lee and Nicole Alexander on came on behalf of current Volunteers. The Minister of Tourism, Hon. Peter Bayuku Konteh, and former Foreign Minister Shirley Gbujama were among others who made the trip to Shenge for the occasion.

His official title is Paramount Chief Pieh Gbabior Caulker Schulze.

Honorary Paramount Chief Gary Schulze

Gary has maintained a 52-year relationship with his Peace Corps country of service.  A member of the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers in Sierra Leone, he taught history at Albert Academy and also served as Acting Curator in the Sierra Leone Museum.  Later he served on the board of the Friends of Sierra Leone group, which played a major role in securing political asylum status in the United States for thousands of Sierra Leoneans during the rebel war. He also acted as a United Nations election observer during the crucial 1996 elections. Gary has given assistance over the years to a number of aid projects in rural areas, including Kagboro Chiefdom.  He is being crowned an honorary paramount chief in recognition of  these longstanding efforts.

Gary is also an avid collector of African art and recently was instrumental in making a remarkable historical discovery: a clear, face-on photograph of Bai Bureh, Sierra Leone’s greatest hero – the only one known to be in existence.

Schulze came across the photo of Bureh on eBay, the online auction house, in August last year, at the same time as his long-time friend, William Hart.  Both knew instantly that this was something rare.  The only previously existing image was a British Army sketch of a defeated looking Bureh.  They coordinated their efforts so as not to bid against each other, but in the end, a professional document dealer in London placed the bid that won the photograph. Afraid that the photo would land in the hands of private collector who would never make it public and thereby deprive Sierra Leoneons of a national treasure, Gary sent an urgent message to the dealer and made a significantly larger offer. Happily, the new offer was accepted after a bit of haggling.

Until now, the only image of Bai Bureh made during his lifetime was this pencil sketch by British army Bureh’s surrender.

Gary has brought the rare photo with him to Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans will have a number of opportunities to view the Bai Bureh photo over the next two weeks, and learn more about its discovery. Gary will give a lecture at the British Council on Thursday, May 9^th and also speak at other venues including U.S. Embassy. The most important event will be an exhibit at the Sierra Leone National Museum, called “The Face of Bai Bureh,” where the public will have an opportunity not just to view the photograph, but a very large blown-up version of the image created for this exhibit.  There will be a small admission charge with the funds going to the upkeep of the museum.

Gary’s story speaks eloquently to the powerful and enduring relationships that result from Peace Corps service. The National Peace Corps Association congratulates him on his honor… but he’ll have to leave the ceremonial litter at home when he attends NPCA board meetings!

(Sourced: www.reloandes.com)

Would you like to share an innovative teaching tool that you are using? Have experience with the challenges of enterprise startups? Making a difference in your community through your work with an NGO? Bring the world home after Peace Corps service in a unique way? Now is the opportunity to share your knowledge with those who have similar goals! On Friday, June 28th we invite you to present to the community on a topic of interest at the Peace Corps Connect annual gathering in Boston.

Peace Corps Connect will be held on the weekend of Friday, June 28th to Saturday, June 29th in Boston, Massachusetts. Our objective is for this community strengthening event to be an interactive environment with the Peace Corps community and local interested organizations. Attendees can expect to visit with friends, network, and share their Peace Corps experiences.

Below we have created some tips on designing an effective poster presentation to reach your target audience and deliver a clear and comprehensive message. We have limited space available so submit a poster request with your topic to NPCA intern Kait Moberly at: advocintern@peacecorpsconnect.org and help other RPCVs to stay connected, get involved, and continue “bringing the world back home.”

Tips to Creating an Effective Poster Presentation

• Be aware of your audience

  • Who are you trying to reach and what is important to that population?

  • Try to avoid too many acronyms. Not everyone knows what they mean!

• Who are you and what are you representing?

  • Are you an RPCV? An educator? Are you presenting on behalf of the Peace Corps or another organization/institution? Make these very clear!

• Easy to follow

  • Imagine your reader wants a clear overview in about three minutes. Can they grasp the main message from your poster in this amount of time?

  • You will have plenty of time to speak about your topic and answer questions. Focus on the most important points of your message and leave the rest as talking points. Posters should be concise but also act as a guide for your verbal presentation.

  • Be sure that topics are arranged in a sensible order. Things should flow logically from left to right.

• Space out sections

  • Be sure to leave enough space between topics to distinguish separate ideas.

• Appropriate font

  • Use font that is large enough to read from a few feet away but not so large that you have to struggle to fit in content. Try for around 20 pt. font.

  • Also, using a standard font such as Times New Roman is ideal and keep it consistent throughout the poster.

• Use pictures!

  • Even adults like to see colors and graphics! If you have photos from your service, your research, or your work feel free to include them. Photos often enhance the interest of your audience and create a more realistic presentation.

  • This being said, don’t take away from important content by overusing colors and graphics.

If you have any specific questions about content or presentation, feel free to send them to advocintern@peacecorpsconnect.org. We are happy to help! You may also check out the following web sites:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/drs18/postershow/

Designing communications for a Poster Fair by Penn State University

http://www.waspacegrant.org/posterdesign.html

The Basics of Poster Design by the Washington Space Grant Consortium

http://www.aspb.org/education/poster.cfm

How to Make a Great Poster by Dina F. Mandoli, Department of Botany, University of Washington

http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/

Developing a Poster Presentation by Jeff Radel, Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center

http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/speaking/poster/

Writing Guides/Overview of Poster Sessions by the Writing Center, Colorado State University

Hope to see you in Boston!

Kirsty and other members of the group’s Leadership Committee were interested in holding a session on group capacity building and growth.

By setting aside time to consider challenges and opportunities, the group engaged in an animated 90 minute discussion back on April 27th that could lead to some additional strategies aimed at building momentum for a stronger group presence.

Here’s an overview and some observations:

Starting From a Position of Strength:  The Kansas City Area Peace Corps Association is not a group on the brink of collapse.  They have a good core group who make up their Leadership Committee. More than ten people came out for the group development session.  By exploring ways to continue to improve when the group remains relatively strong (rather than when leadership dwindles down to two or three people) enhances the the prospects for sustainability.

Impediments:  Comments during opening introductions led to a discussion on

Kirsty Morgan (r) and other members of the Kansas City RPCVs at a local restaurant following the workshop.

impediments that may be preventing other members of the local Peace Corps community from getting more involved.  Among the factors the group raised were a lack of knowledge about the existence of the group, a clear delineation of the purpose and goals of the group, financial restrictions that may prevent participation in certain events (such as group dinners at a local restaurant) and the time challenges many individuals face in their everyday life.

Good/Bad Gatherings:  NPCA Staff led the group through a discussion of what makes for a good/fun meeting or gathering versus a bad get-together that might cause some to refrain from further participation.  While centered mostly around the concept of a meeting format, the lessons could apply to events as well.  For example, workshop participants noted that a good agenda is an important element of a successful meeting.  But it is also important to have an “agenda” for any group activity.  For example, if a group is holding a monthly dinner, do they have a plan for when and how to welcome new participants, announce upcoming activities, etc?

Brainstorming Solutions:  Some time was spent to brainstorm ideas to address group challenges.  One such challenge the Kansas City group faces (like many others) is successfully engaging members of the community who have children and many family commitments.  An idea that came to mind was to have a summer picnic activity that might be more attractive to RPCVs with families.  While that is not a new idea, further discussion led to an added twist:  Creating an activity for the kids at the

(l to r) Because the group exists, India RPCVs Ruth Stepien and Bev Pinter (who just moved from Minneapolis) were able to reconnect at the workshop!

gathering where they could pretend being Peace Corps Volunteers.  Not only could that be a fun activity for the kids, it could also serve as a way for parents to further explain and share their Peace Corps experience with family members.

Getting Down to Business:  The session served as only a starting point for the group.  Along with sharing some examples of activities taking place around the country, NPCA staff and board representatives will be following up soon with further ideas on successful activities, and try to connect the Kansas City leaders with other group leaders who can share their best practices and offer suggestions and advice.

In general, group participants came away energized from the session.  Our thanks to the Kansas City Peace Corps Association for all they already do to connect with their community and bring the world home.  We hope this session will be the start of something even bigger!

Central Missouri RPCV group members took part in an April 28th advocacy workshop

Minnesota Advocacy Coordinator Andrea Kruse (Bulgaria 2008-10) was concerned.  There was good reason for her concern.

It was early Friday evening, April 26th, and the day had been gorgeous – bright sunshine with temperatures in the 70′s.  ”This is the nicest day we’ve had in Minneapolis in five months!”  So, would anyone show for the scheduled advocacy workshop that evening?

Andrea’s concerns subsided as thirteen members of the Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) set aside taking in the first signs of spring for a couple of hours, in order to take in the latest National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) advocacy updates and action opportunities.

The Minnesota workshop was one of four incorporated into NPCA’s cross-country road trip.

April 26th workshop in Minneapolis

A similar workshop with similar turnout was held in Columbia Missouri, home base for the Central Missouri RPCVs.  The group organizes some tremendous activities to bring the world home, including their highly regarded international film festival.  The advocacy workshop was built into a month-long series of service and community education activities the group planned for April.

“We’re considering becoming more involved in advocacy,” said Central Missouri group President Karen Davis (Guatemala 1992-94).  ”The workshop was an opportunity to learn more about current advocacy efforts and how we might be able to assist.”  Davis said the group’s Board of Directors will consider its future advocacy role at an upcoming meeting in June.

Ten people came out for an advocacy workshop in St. Louis on April 29th.  That followed a reception

(l to r) Recently returned volunteer Alyssa Vorhies (Mongolia 2010-12) meets Linda Locke (Morocco 1975-79) following the advocacy workshop in St. Louis

the night before in which NPCA Advocacy Director Jonathan Pearson provided an update to an additional 25 individuals.  The group’s Advocacy Coordinator, Christine O’Neill (Costa Rica 2007-11) was pleased.  ”I was impressed by people’s questions, by their interest in becoming more involved in these issues and seeing how these different pieces all fit together.  I always learn a lot from people’s questions, what they ask about.”

The final advocacy workshop on the roadtrip took place May 1st in Nashville. Seventeen people were in attendance, including five new people the group hadn’t seen before, according to Tennessee Advocacy Coordinator Angie Harris (Papua New Guinea 1991-93).  ”We had more people than I expected and I think that a lot of people were inspired afterwards.  I think we will have a larger advocacy team going forward.”

Advocacy sessions are planned for our June 28 – 29 gathering, Peace Corps Connect – Boston.  If you are interested in conducting an NPCA advocacy workshop in your community, contact us at advocacy@peacecorpsconnect.org for resource information.

Members of the Idaho RPCVs gathered on April 21st for the group’s potluck and Annual General Meeting

Our cross-country trip to catch up with the Peace Corps community has been anything but a straight line from west to east.  With some backtracking and detours, we’ve logged more than 4,000 miles to meet up with as many people as possible.

One such detour came back on April 21st.  We travelled down from Montana to Boise to attend the potluck and Annual General Meeting of the Idaho Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (IRPCV).

The detour was well worth the visit.  Coming off hosting a highly successful regional meeting of Pacific Northwest RPCVs in March, more than 35 came out for the gathering, ready for continued engagement.  Before the group was an ambitious agenda that included committee reports, updates on more than a half-dozen past and upcoming events, election of new officers and an activities planning session for late 2013 and early 2014.

A number of positive developments occurred during the course of the evening.  After more than a year, the group announced it obtained its non-profit 501 (c) 3 status.  Several individuals volunteered to assist with a review and revamp of the group’s website.  Boise will be the location of a reunion gathering of the Friends of Thailand in October.  And, the group voted to divide $1,000 in charitable donations (more than had originally been planned) between projects supporting a local Boys and Girls Club, a day shelter for the homeless, and Semilla Nueva, a non-profit organization helping Guatemalan farmers experiment with life changing technologies to improve conditions for local families and communities.

There’s no doubt that IRPCV – like all member groups – face challenges in their quest to bring the world home and continue the ethic of serving others.  And, like many groups, IRPCV develops their own organizational strategies and models to sustain and advance their work.

Here are a few of the approaches we picked up from the IRPCV Annual General Meeting that might be useful to other National Peace Corps Association groups:

IRPCV President Jennifer Rogers leads the group through its planning session.

Keep Group Goals Front and Center:  IRPCV developed a set of seven goals that it regularly highlights on its website, on meeting agendas and elsewhere.  This serves as a regular reminder to all of the important activities in which the group is engaged, and provides a focus in group organization and planning.

RPCV Friends Can Be Group Leaders:  As is the case with some other groups, IRPCV looks beyond returned volunteers to serve in its leadership.  Group Treasurer Trish McKernan is the spouse of Secretary (and Thailand RPCV) Kathryn Lloyd.  ”I never served, but I’m pro-Peace Corps,” said McKernan.  ”So I jumped in and helped out.  It’s a good feeling.”

Shadow Period for New Officers:  As it seeks new officers for the group, IRPCV institutes a 4 – 6 month transition period between election and assuming office.  This allows the incoming officers to shadow their predecessors and better prepare to assume their leadership role.

Food After Business!  While the pleasure of Peace Corps company is always a draw, the group works to address the business end of its activity agenda before delving too deeply into the social aspects of the evening.  This helps to build further understanding and involvement in the work of the IRPCV.

Congratulations to the leadership and members of the Idaho Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for their ongoing and impressive efforts to bring the world home!

We are into the last week of our cross-country trip to connect with the Peace Corps community.  We’re about to turn east with stops in Tennessee, southeastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia.  Follow this link for the details.