News
At Last, Here’s Some Good News for the Peace Corps Community When It Comes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has also been a focus of concern for members of the Peace Corps community, because returned Volunteers were left out of reforms that were supposed to help them. Now here’s some good news. By Katie McSheffrey Photo by JessicaRain / Wikimedia Commons Last October, the U.S. Department of Education announced an overhaul of the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). But that initial overhaul, did not include proposals to help Peace Corps Volunteers. National Peace Corps Association has covered this in podcasts and WorldView magazine. Months later, those of us who have been leading the RPCVs for PSLF Relief Facebook group...
Peace Corps Achievements — June 2022
News and updates from the Peace Corps community — across the country, around the world, and spanning generations of returned Volunteers and staff. By Peter V. Deekle (Iran 1968–70) Jamie Hopkins, who served as a Volunteer in Ukraine 1996–98, leads the Eagan Community Foundation in Minnesota and spearheaded a three-day film festival in support of Ukraine in April and May. Krista Kinnard (Ecuador 2010–21) has been named a 2022 finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, for her work spearheading new, efficiency-boosting and cost effective technologies for the Department of Labor (DOL). Rob Schmitz (China 1996–98) had a stint as guest host of NPR’s All...
Statement on Recent Posts Online Making Allegations Against NPCA
Dear Members of the Peace Corps Community, National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is dedicated to serving the Peace Corps community and supporting the mission of the Peace Corps. NPCA is committed to providing support, resources, and advocacy while promoting a spirit of respect and acceptance of all people. The Board of NPCA takes all allegations of an unsafe or hostile workplace environment for women or others very seriously and has not and will not condone such an environment at NPCA. The allegations referenced in the recent posts online are not new. The Board took action to engage an independent and...
Meet the Members of the Peace Corps Community Recognized with the 2022 JFK Service Award
Every five years, Peace Corps presents the John F. Kennedy Service Awards to honor members of the Peace Corps network whose contributions go above and beyond for the agency and America every day. Here are the 2022 Awardees. By NPCA Staff Photo: Dr. Mamadou Diaw, Peace Corps staff recipient of the 2022 JFK Service Award. Photos Courtesy of the Peace Corps On May 19, at a ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., the Peace Corps presented The John F. Kennedy Service Awards for 2022. Every five years, the Peace Corps presents the JFK Service Award to recognize members...
In Memoriam – May 2022
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Tiffany James Our tributes include Juliane Heyman (pictured), a Holocaust survivor, who evaded Nazi soldiers for four years before reaching New York by freighter in 1941. Decades later, Heyman became the Peace Corps' first female training officer before working as a consultant on educational and social projects throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We remember William H. Armstrong, an ordained minister who served as the director of the Peace Corps in Ethiopia before becoming the first director of the...
Action Alert: Ask Your Senators to Sign the Peace Corps Funding Letter to Provide Robust Support for Volunteers as They Return to Service Overseas
U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins circulated the annual Peace Corps funding letter, seeking a $20 million increase in agency funding. Thanks to your efforts, a record number of senators signed this year's letter. By Jonathan Pearson Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have concluded circulating their annual Peace Corps “Dear Colleague” letter, asking other senators to sign on and ensure robust support for the agency as Volunteers return to service overseas. The letter, addressed to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State & Foreign Operations, calls for increasing Peace Corps funding for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) from $410.5 million to $430.5 million. 43 senators signed this...
Peace Corps Achievements — May 2022
News and updates from the Peace Corps community — across the country, around the world, and spanning generations of returned Volunteers and staff. By Peter V. Deekle (Iran 1968–70) Gloria Blackwell (pictured), who served as a Volunteer in Cameroon 1986–88, was recently named CEO of the American Association of University Women — a nonprofit organization advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. In April, Colombia bestowed citizenship upon Maureen Orth (Colombia 1964–66) in recognition of her lifetime of work supporting education in the country. Writer Michael Meyer (China 1995–97) recently published Benjamin Franklin’s Last Bet, which explores Franklin’s deathbed wager of 2,000 pounds to...
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project
Help preserve the Peace Corps legacy Trained volunteer interviewers with the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project (OHAP) are ready to capture your unique Peace Corps story. Click here to sign up for your in-depth oral history video interview using a web-based digital platform. Consider launching an affiliate group oral history project as a fun and meaningful way to engage your members and further your mission. Visit the OHAP website for more information and contact Evelyn Ganzglass to explore options for affiliate partnership. Now is the time to record your Peace Corps Story. The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project’s (OHAP) volunteer interviewers are ready...
In Memoriam – April 2022
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Tiffany James Our tributes include Dennis “DJ” Crawley-Smith (pictured), the creator and founding president of Lost&Found — a South Dakota-based nonprofit that aims to help eliminate suicide among young adults and is now found on multiple college campuses throughout the Midwest. We remember Ronald P. Wertheim, a retired senior Superior Court judge and former Peace Corps Deputy General Counsel and associate director. A published writer whose mystery series sought to bring representation to and challenge misconceptions of gay protagonists in fiction. An essayist and...
Action Alert: Ask Your House Rep to Sign the Peace Corps Funding Letter to Provide Robust Support for Volunteers as They Return to Service Overseas
In the House of Representatives, today (April 22) is the deadline for a bipartisan letter from the co-chairs of the Peace Corps Caucus seeking a $40 million increase in agency funding. Now is the time to contact your House Rep and ask them to sign this letter. By Jonathan Pearson Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA) and Garret Graves (R-LA), co-chairs of the House Peace Corps Caucus, have begun circulating a Peace Corps funding letter asking other House members to sign on and ensure robust support for the agency as Volunteers return to service overseas. The letter, addressed to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State &...