2006.09.20: September 20, 2006: Headlines: COS - Swaziland: Sports: Baseball: Peace Corps Press Release: Peace Corps Night at RFK a Success
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2006.09.20: September 20, 2006: Headlines: COS - Swaziland: Sports: Baseball: Peace Corps Press Release: Peace Corps Night at RFK a Success
Peace Corps Night at RFK a Success
The festivities began when Chris Matthews, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and host of MSNBC’s Hardball, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Matthews, who served in Swaziland, 1968-70, says his Peace Corps experience changed his life forever. Before the players took the field, returned Peace Corps Volunteers and agency staff—dressed in traditional garb from their host country or Peace Corps’ new 45th anniversary T-shirts—held a pre-game ceremony and a Parade of Nations, featuring flags from all 75 current Peace Corps countries. In addition, Peace Corps was featured throughout the game.
Peace Corps Night at RFK a Success
Peace Corps Night at RFK a Success
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Chris Matthews Threw First Pitch
Caption: Peace Corps night at the Nationals/Braves game at RFK in Washington, D.C. Chris Matthews threw out the first pitch. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland in the 1960s. Photo: Anastasia Miller
Washington, D.C. September 20, 2006 – Peace Corps and the Washington Nationals hosted “Peace Corps Night” at RFK Stadium last night. Among the approximately 20,596 people who watched the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves (9-2), the Peace Corps cheering section included some 450 returned Peace Corps Volunteers or agency staff.
The festivities began when Chris Matthews, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and host of MSNBC’s Hardball, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Matthews, who served in Swaziland, 1968-70, says his Peace Corps experience changed his life forever.
Before the players took the field, returned Peace Corps Volunteers and agency staff—dressed in traditional garb from their host country or Peace Corps’ new 45th anniversary T-shirts—held a pre-game ceremony and a Parade of Nations, featuring flags from all 75 current Peace Corps countries. In addition, Peace Corps was featured throughout the game.
Peace Corps Night commemorated 45 years of service to the global community. The executive order establishing the Peace Corps was signed on March 1, 1961, and the legislation formally creating the agency was signed into public law (P.L. 87-293) on September 22, 1961.
When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
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Story Source: Peace Corps Press Release
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Swaziland; Sports; Baseball
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