Peace Corps Volunteers meet with Members of Congress at their overseas sites



Peace Corps Volunteers meet with Members of Congress at their overseas sites

Volunteers Show Members of Congress What Life is Like in the Peace Corps

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13, 2005 – Recently, Peace Corps volunteers from a number of states had the opportunity to not only tell, but show members of Congress what life is like while serving in the Peace Corps.

Panama
Chairman of the House International Relations Committee Henry Hyde of Illinois recently led a congressional delegation to Panama that included Representatives Howard Coble of North Carolina, Eni F.H. Faleomavaega of American Samoa, Betty McCollum of Minnesota, and Loretta Sanchez of California. On their visit, some of the delegation had the opportunity to visit the site of a Peace Corps volunteer who is working side-by-side with the community of Ipetí Emberá to promote tourism. The representatives learned about the culture of the people, ate a traditional lunch, and even helped support the artesian shop that volunteers worked to develop in the community.

Peace Corps volunteers involved in the Panama visit included Norma Hernandez of Anaheim, Calif., Jon and Emily Pfeifer of Aspen, Colo., Lian Carl of Redmond, Wash., and Peter and Allison Musser of Mankato, Minn.

Georgia
On the other side of the globe, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada led a Congressional delegation of other U.S. Senators to the country of Georgia that included Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Robert Bennett of Utah, Barbara Boxer of California, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington, and Ken Salazar of Colorado. The Senators had a chance to visit with Peace Corps volunteers from their respective home states serving in the post-Soviet nation. They also heard from representatives from non-governmental organizations and Georgian officials who highlighted the dedication and positive impacts the volunteers have had on their communities.

Peace Corps volunteers Lauren Miller of Greeley, Colo., Steve Taylor of Sandy, Utah, Kelly Pursley of Seattle, Wash., Iris Sunwoo of Anaheim, Calif., Helen Chung of Gilroy, Calif., Nicole Mechem of Folsom, Calif., Sarah Adolphson formerly of Los Gatos, Calif., and Jonathan Hayes of Springfield, Ill., described life in Georgia, including the challenges and successes they have experienced since arriving in country. All eight currently serving volunteers are working in the areas of secondary education and teaching English as a foreign language. Returned volunteer John Mackedon of Fallon, Nev., who continues to live in Georgia since the close of his service, also met with the group and his Nevada senator.

Dominican Republic
Back in December, Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Mike DeWine of Ohio met with Dominican Republic volunteers from their respective states, including Lori and Brad Mills, a couple serving from Ohio, with whom they discussed their projects and how Peace Corps' training and communication with staff prepared them for service and is helping them feel "very safe" in the country.

For Senator Dodd, this visit to the Dominican Republic was an especially memorable one, as this was his first visit back to the site where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1966 to 1968. Senator Dodd also traveled to his project site of 24 years ago in Santiago Rodriguez, near the Haitian border. Many of the people remembered him and his contributions, as they shared stories and reflected on the community's progress.

Nicaragua
Annie Burtch, a community health volunteer, met with Senator DeWine shortly after his arrival in Nicaragua in December. Senator DeWine found his visit with Annie highly interesting, as it provided him with a perspective of the peoples' needs that only someone living and working with Nicaraguans could provide

In Momotombo, Sierra Schroeder, an environmental education volunteer, visited with Senator Dodd and described her work with local schools and her community in environmental education programs, such as trash management, recycling, and reforestation. Sierra, Peace Corps staff, and the senator then traveled to the Leon Viejo historical site — the first capital of Nicaragua — where Sierra explained a project she and others are working on to promote tourism. In La Paz Centro, Senator Dodd met with eight Small Business Development volunteers, including David Cook, a volunteer from Connecticut who traveled across Nicaragua to meet the senator.

Congressional delegations provide American volunteers the opportunity to share their work and the culture they have embraced through their Peace Corps service.

When this story was posted in April 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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RPCVs and Friends remember Pope John Paul II Tony Hall found the pope to be courageous and capable of forgiving the man who shot him in 1981, Mark Gearan said the pope was as dynamic in person as he appears on television, Maria Shriver said he was a beacon of virtue, strength and goodness, and an RPCV who met the pope while serving in the Solomon Islands said he possessed the holiness of a man filled with a deep love and concern for humanity. Leave your thoughts here.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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April 10, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: "Why do you study Jesuits?" 10 Apr Al Kamen says Condi Rice is Baffled 8 Apr Chris Dodd makes "sneak attack" on AgustaWestland 7 Apr Accused attacker maintains innocence 7 Apr Jim Walsh supports Sinn Féin declaration 7 Apr Crisis Corps team in Thailand begins work 6 Apr Tom Weisner wins big in Aurora Mayor's Race 6 Apr BBDO wins EFFIE Ad Awards for "Life is Calling" 6 Apr PCVs removed after missionaries killed in Guyana 5 Apr Chris Matthews covers death of Pope John Paul II 5 Apr 24 Congressmen sign Peace Corps letter 4 Apr Update: PCVs in Kyrgyzstan back in communities 4 Apr Tom Murphy lays into Bush administration 4 Apr Bellamy urges legislators to protect children 4 Apr Lynn Olson manages art gallery after judgeship 4 Apr Bob Taft promotes tax code overhaul in Ohio 3 Apr Richard Kaminski lost in village in Botswana 3 Apr

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April 10, 2005: Events around the Country North Carolina RPCV discusses Nepal trek on April 14 6 Apr South Carolina RPCVs to see off PCVs on April 18 5 Apr Gaddi Vasquez speaks at Northwestern University 6 Apr Henry McKoy speaks at Clemson University 8 Apr Minnesota RPCVs need Photos for Exhibition 24 Mar Maryland RPCVs eat crab cakes in Annapolis 17 Mar RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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April Feature Stories - only on PCOL Dream Come True - Revisiting India after 34 years The Coyne Column: Read Winning Vanity Fair PCV Essay Tomas Belsky's paintings inspired by service in Brazil RPCV reunites with friend after 40 years RPCV reviews "Los Heraldos Negros" by Cesar Vallejo Photo Essay: Taking it to the Streets

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Crisis Corps arrives in Thailand After the Tsunami in Southeast Asia last December, Peace Corps issued an appeal for Crisis Corps Volunteers and over 200 RPCVs responded. The first team of 8 Crisis Corps volunteers departed for Thailand on March 18 to join RPCVs who are already supporting relief efforts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India with other agencies and NGO's.

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

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