Aida Downing: These values unite us all
Aida Downing: These values unite us all
Dear Supporters,
Four years ago, when I started volunteering my time to support the effort to build Peace Corps Park in Washington, D.C., it was as a favor to my business partner (and PCCF Board Member) Jeff Zell, who asked that I help produce a brochure. I thought that would be that.
What I discovered, as I got to know the people working on this project, was a passion for service that united them – a dedication to a life of positive change that resonated with my life and made it impossible for me to look away.
Though I never served in the Peace Corps, I’ve spent significant parts of my life outside the U.S. and learned that when you experience a world so different from the one you’ve known, you develop a deeper, more compassionate perspective on what matters, and how individuals can make a tremendous difference in people’s lives. The world needs more of this perspective, and I hope you will help us inspire generations to come by supporting this project in your year-end giving plans.
As a child, I grew up with a well-educated immigrant father, who after 25 years in the U.S. as a research scientist, decided it was time to give back to the people of his native Nicaragua, where he felt his talents could make a real difference. He moved our family there and through the remaining 50 years of his life as a university professor, a business leader, and de facto community center, he demonstrated the same values that the Peace Corps has represented for a generation of global citizens.
Upon returning to the U.S. and setting about building the next phase of my life in Washington, I was fortunate to find a career with Jeff, who broke the traditional mold of the commercial real estate business and demonstrated how it can strengthen communities and empower those who serve others. Through its work with many nonprofit organizations, JM Zell’s overarching goal was to ensure that an organization’s real estate assets supported its mission-critical operations and helped it thrive. His own generosity set the tone for how each of us on his team thought about the work we did – both professionally and personally.
This experience led to my more-than-20-year relationship with La Clinica del Pueblo in Washington, D.C., which provides community-based access to healthcare and health equity in the local Latino community. To honor my father, I have also sponsored nearly a dozen children in my father’s birthplace of Granada, Nicaragua, through Empowerment International, which provides truly remarkable educational programs for some of the most at-risk, impoverished children on the planet. Through these organizations, I have witnessed the impactful work they do to address the immediate, critical needs of these communities and to break the cycle of generational poverty.
The Peace Corps is a powerful model of service and outreach, with the reputation and leadership to amplify these shared values. And Peace Corps Park is uniquely positioned to serve as a focal point for inspiring generations of visitors to something greater than themselves. I know it can serve as a catalyst to help people think differently about the world and about their communities – and their own roles in creating a better, more peaceful, more just world. And that is why I am committed to helping bring this project to fruition.
There’s still a lot of work to be done for us to accomplish this ambition, and I hope you will join me in helping bring Peace Corps Park to the world by making a contribution. Together we can build something entirely new in our nation’s capital that tells the rest of America’s story and inspires everyone who visits to connect with their community, serve others and form the partnerships that help make the world a better place.
Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation
President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association (2013-22)
RPCV Guatemala (1988-91)
PEACE CORPS COMMEMORATIVE FOUNDATION
Compassion Generosity Perseverance
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The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation is the trade name of the Peace Corps Foundation,
a District of Columbia 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
EIN: 01-0554700
