Peace Corps Achievements — December 2020
Achievements of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Across the country — and around the world By Peter Deekle (Iran 1968–70) ALBANIA Ackeem Evans (2018–20) is the co-founder of EVERYONE EATS FOUNDATION, Inc. He is the project manager for World Central Kitchen, helping feed Louisiana refugees and first responders in the 2020 aftermath of Hurricane Laura. BENIN Megan McComb (2018–20) received a Fulbright fellowship for the 2020–21 grant year. She will serve as English Teaching Assistants (ETA) abroad. While the COVID-19 pandemic postponed travel plans, she will be able to begin her placement as soon as January 2021, conditions permitting. ...
In Memoriam – November 2020
Remembering those we’ve lost recently in the Peace Corps Community Whether in law, government, social work, or the arts, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former Peace Corps staff are leaders and visionaries in their selected fields. We honor those leaders who recently passed away. Drew Saunders Days III (1941-2020) graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in English Literature before receiving his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1966. A year after graduating law school, Days served in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 1967 to 1969. After serving, Days became a successful civil rights lawyer focusing on police misconduct, school...
Peace Corps Achievements — November 2020
Achievements of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Across the country — and around the world By Peter Deekle (Iran 1968–1970) Photo: Tavish Fenbert, evacuated from Peace Corps service in Senegal in March — and recognized in August for his work to help food insecure families in Seattle BENIN Leif Brottem (2002–2004) is an assistant professor of Global Development Studies at Grinnell College in Iowa. He currently conducts academic field research on resource use outside of Park W in Benin and Niger, and at Zakouma National Park in Chad. He recently penned “Protecting African Wildlife: A Defense of Conservation Territories” for Mongabay. CAMEROON Jomara Alexandra Laboy Rivera (2015–2018) currently works in the Peace Corps’ Office...
Dr. Anthony Fauci Sends Words of Encouragement as NPCA Launches Emergency Response Network with Contact Tracers Helping During the Pandemic
Welcomed by Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Peter Kilmarx from the National Institutes of Health, the first cohort of NPCA contact tracers is training to begin work in King County, Washington. By Dan Baker Renowned infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci offered words of encouragement and inspiration as the first cohort of the National Peace Corps Association Emergency Response Network began training as contact tracers on October 28. These inaugural members of the NPCA Emergency Response Network will work as contact tracers with the Department of Health of Seattle and King County, Washington. “I am a longstanding admirer of your passion and dedication...
Gratitude to the Peace Corps Community
Thank you to the groups and individuals who have supported evacuated Volunteers and their communities around the world during this time of crisis. By NPCA Staff In the months since the unprecedented global evacuation of Peace Corps Volunteers, National Peace Corps Association Affiliate Groups across the country have been generous with time and support they have shown evacuated Volunteers. They have provided service and assistance here in the United States during the COVID pandemic. A number of affiliate groups have also made generous donations to enable NPCA to provide vital transition support and services to the 7,300 recently evacuated Peace Corps...
Story Slammers Wanted
The New York City Peace Corps Association hosts the ninth season of their Story Slams — all virtual this year. So you can tell and hear stories from everywhere. Still to come on November 19: “Global Reentry: Evacuation Stories” from Volunteers forced to leave the communities where they were serving last March. This season also included stories on “Unexpected Americans: Experiences with Identity in the Peace Corps” and “Political Animals: Encoun-ters with the Political Process.” RSVP and sign up: bit.ly/nycpcastorytellers2020 This story appears in the Fall 2020 editiof of WorldView magazine. Read the entire magazine for free now in the WorldView app. Here’s how: STEP...
10,000 Meals: World Central Kitchen and Hurricane Laura
All in a day’s work for the team with World Central Kitchen By Steven Boyd Saum Indeed, 10,000 meals is all in a day's work for the team with World Central Kitchen (WCK) working in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, helping feed refugees and first responders. “A very long (but good!) day,” says Daniella DeLaRue, who traveled from Texas to help out — and support the work that Ackeem Evans was coordinating as project manager for WCK. Evans asked National Peace Corps Association to put out a call for more volunteers. “It was really wonderful to meet Ackeem and tell him...
Letters Fall 2020: WorldView Readers Write
Unprecedented Times We set aside the standard magazine playbook for our summer edition. We’re happy to bring back your letters — to continue the conversation.Write us: worldview@peacecorpsconnect.org I’m writing to congratulate and thank you for the current issue of WorldView. It’s the most powerful thing in print I’ve seen from Peace Corps since I received my acceptance letter in 1969. Congrats to everyone involved on a mammoth job so very well done. Stephen Barefoot Kenya 1969–72 Most remarkable WorldView ever, both the quality of the product and the effort it took to gather and edit the stories. What we may have is the substance for a book, proceeds from which would...
In Memoriam – October 2020
We honor and remember the members of the Peace Corps community who recently passed away. They worked in law enforcement and health care. They volunteered in efforts to confront homelessness, racial injustice, domestic violence, and animal welfare. And, in one case, they developed a university study abroad program that included one particularly well known and influential alumnus. Joseph Blatchford (1934-2020) served as the third director of the Peace Corps. Blatchford was appointed by President Richard Nixon in May 1969 — and he headed the agency during the turbulent times of Nixon’s first administration. Tapped for the post at 34 years old, he came with nearly a decade’s...
Peace Corps Achievements — October 2020
Achievements of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Across the country — and around the world By Peter Deekle (Iran 1968–1970) Angell Kim (far right) served in the northern coast of Colombia as a Peace Corps Volunteer in education and community development from 2016- 2018. Picture courtesy of Peace Corps. BULGARIA Jerramy Dear-Ruel is a candidate for Montana’s House District 6 in 2020. He is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, detention officer, anf law enforcement park ranger. Jeremy is also the founding executive director of Sparrow’s Nest of Northwest Montana, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless high school students. COLOMBIA Angell Kim (2016-2018) was...