March 17, 2005: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Arlington Connection: Richard Nelson was among only the ninth group of volunteers to be sent to Thailand.
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March 17, 2005: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Arlington Connection: Richard Nelson was among only the ninth group of volunteers to be sent to Thailand.
Richard Nelson was among only the ninth group of volunteers to be sent to Thailand.
Richard Nelson was among only the ninth group of volunteers to be sent to Thailand.
Peace Corps Celebrates 44 Years
Former volunteer Richard Nelson shared his experiences with students at Kenmore Middle School and St. Agnes School.
By Stefan Cornibert
March 17, 2005
[Excerpt]
Caption: Volunteer Richard Nelson in a small village outside Bangkok with some of his students.
In honor of National Peace Corps week, students at Kenmore and St. Agnes middle schools met with former volunteer Richard Nelson to learn about the benefits and the adventures that come with helping people overseas.
"The objective of the Peace Corps is really to spread friendship and to promote a better understanding of cultures," said Nelson, who signed on with the Peace Corps in 1964 to teach English in Thailand.
The Peace Corps was in its infancy when Nelson began his work. He was among only the ninth group of volunteers to be sent to Thailand. Founded in 1961 by President Kennedy, the Peace Corps is now celebrating its 44th year of training young and old alike to improve life in communities across the globe. Nelson told students about his training, learning the Thai language and the challenges he faced during his experience.
"It's a great way for people who have the inclination to make the world a better place to get out there, to get involved and to learn about a different culture."
Nelson was stationed outside Bangkok and in a village where few others spoke English. Living in a small room where the only running water flowed from a pipe into an earthen jar, Nelson had to adapt to his environment but said he soon found himself immersed in the community surrounding him.
"I was able to break into the Thai culture and that helped me in what I was doing there," he said. It was great."
Among his accomplishments from his time overseas, Nelson said one of his favorites is that he and other volunteers were able to send Thai students to the United States on scholarships.
His service overseas later landed him a job in the U.S. Foreign Service. Nelson credits the Peace Corps with setting him on the right track for his future career.
When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week. |
| Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments. |
| WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service. |
| Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress. |
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Story Source: Arlington Connection
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