2010.11.04: November 4, 2010: Obituary for Ecuador RPCV Kenneth Coffeen
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2010.11.04: November 4, 2010: Obituary for Ecuador RPCV Kenneth Coffeen
Obituary for Ecuador RPCV Kenneth Coffeen
Ken served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador 1962-1966. His Peace Corp journey took him also to Bolivia, Gambia, Nigeria, and Jordan. It was this work that shaped Ken's activism. Ken helped raise over $1,000,000 for Peace Corps countries through out the world ... money that was used to build projects that would improve the lives of thousands. Ken used his skills and passion of engineering to build roads that brought connections and aid.
Obituary for Ecuador RPCV Kenneth Coffeen
In memory of Kenneth Coffeen
by Staff
November 04, 2010
Kenneth "Ken" Coffeen embodied the spirit of a peacemaker, and a man who lived his life serving and searching for social justice. He understand that the world is interconnected and that issues are global and cannot be isolated because boundaries of a country.
To that end, Ken served in the Peace Corps in Ecuador 1962-1966. His Peace Corp journey took him also to Bolivia, Gambia, Nigeria, and Jordan. It was this work that shaped Ken's activism. Ken helped raise over $1,000,000 for Peace Corps countries through out the world ... money that was used to build projects that would improve the lives of thousands. Ken used his skills and passion of engineering to build roads that brought connections and aid.
Ken belonged to and supported many organizations that sought peace and justice: United Nations of Dane County, where he served on their board; the Network for Peace and Justice; Veterans for Peace; Rafa Sister Project ; and Playgrounds for Palestine. He stood with Native Americans here in Wisconsin for spearfishing rights and marched with them against the Crandon Mine. He marched with peace activists in Washington DC and Chicago against the Iraq War.
His activism took him to Iowa where he helped with meat packers and families that lost their jobs, spouses, and friends. He worked for the Crisis Corps in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. He worked as a parade marshall for the RNC in Minneapolis in 2008 and volunteered at the American Red Cross.
Above all, Ken never lost what was important in life ... family. And his family learned from him and shared in his work. He and his wife, Sharon, often opened their home to others who were here to speak about the needs and work in their countries of Palestine and Israel.
On Saturday, July 29, 2010, Ken lost his personal health battles, but his spirit and the benefits of his service will continue on!
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: November, 2010; Peace Corps Ecuador; Directory of Ecuador RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ecuador RPCVs; Obituaries
When this story was posted in November 2010, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Support Independent Funding for the Third Goal The Peace Corps has always neglected the third goal, allocating less than 1% of their resources to "bringing the world back home." Senator Dodd addressed this issue in the "Peace Corps for the 21st Century" bill passed by the US Senate and Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter proposed a "Peace Corps Foundation" at no cost to the US government. Both are good approaches but the recent "Comprehensive Assessment Report" didn't address the issue of independent funding for the third goal at all. |
| Memo to Incoming Director Williams PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams |
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Story Source: The Madison Times
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ecuador; Obituaries
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