South Africa RPCV Christopher Aquino to be recognized with Peace Corps' 2005 Franklin H. Williams Award



South Africa RPCV Christopher Aquino to be recognized with Peace Corps' 2005 Franklin H. Williams Award

Peace Corps' 2005 Franklin H. Williams Awards Ceremony Will Honor Community Leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23, 2005 – Eleven former Peace Corps volunteers from across the nation, now contributing domestically as community leaders, will be recognized for their service with the Franklin H. Williams Award tonight at the Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Established in 1999, the Franklin H. Williams Award pays tribute to returned Peace Corps volunteers of color who continue the Peace Corps mission through their commitment to community service, and who support the agency’s third goal of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The award assumes the name of former Peace Corps Regional Director for Africa and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Franklin H. Williams. Ambassador Williams was instrumental in assisting the first Peace Corps Director, Sargent Shriver, in advancing the agency’s mission across the globe.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Wilbert Bryant, Counselor to the Secretary for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). In this role, Bryant is responsible for advising the Secretary of Education on ways to strengthen the nation’s HBCUs, and on ways to advance the opportunities for HBCUs to participate in federally supported programs. Bryant also serves as deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs for the Department of Education.

Peace Corps Deputy Director Jody Olsen will present the 11 Franklin H. Williams Awards, in addition to the Director’s Award, which recognizes an individual who has served the Peace Corps’ mission through a commitment to international development and cross-cultural understanding. Finalists for the Franklin H. Williams Award were selected by the 11 Peace Corps regional recruiting offices across the United States. The 2005 winners include:

Christopher Aquino
In 1997 Christopher Aquino became one of the first Peace Corps volunteers to serve in South Africa. Aquino was stationed at a remote school district’s office where he was responsible for assessing the structure of ten schools and implementing new initiatives for improvement. In his two years of work, Aquino organized management conferences for principals and teachers as well as personally lobbied the provincial head of the educational department for new resources and reforms.

Since completing his Peace Corps assignment, Aquino has held various positions in the community development sector. Soon after finishing his master’s of business administration from E.M. Lyon in France, he accepted a community building position in his home state of Alaska with Nine Star, a non-profit group focused on helping people gain job skills and finding employment. In 2001, the State of Alaska Community-Based Suicide Prevention Program hired Aquino to manage a grant program for rural Alaskan communities in support of suicide prevention efforts. Using skills gained as a school and community resource volunteer in the Peace Corps, he worked with village project coordinators across the state providing training, support and technical assistance for Alaska Natives. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational behavior and serving as a Project Management Consultant for United Way.

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



Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

---

---

American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

---

June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

---

June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

---

June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

---

June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

---

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.

Read the stories and leave your comments.