August Newsletter: Inspiration from a hammer and chisel

Dear Supporters,

As you know, I am constantly traveling on behalf of Peace Corps Park (see the “Where is Glenn?” section at the bottom of this and every newsletter), and while that travel sometimes leaves me with precious little free time, I am often struck by how fulfilling my work promoting Peace Corps Park is for me personally.

Last month I talked about the magic of in-person connection, and how valuable it is to make the case for the project through a conversation, because there are so many reasons to support this symbol of our shared values in Washington, D.C.

I find tremendous inspiration from this effort because it is so personal – all of us in this community of service and global partnership can see ourselves and our values reflected in Peace Corps Park, no matter how much we can contribute, and that makes it a joy to talk about.

This month’s newsletter is a perfect example: We share a new design spotlight highlighting the decision to enlist a master stone carver and MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient to chisel every letter by hand into the Park’s granite benches, showing our unwavering commitment to building a symbol that will stand in stone forever.

We also share our 2024 annual report that recaps the significant milestones we achieved last year, as well as our slide presentation that lays out the case for the Park to prospective donors. And we are proud to announce that our group has received platinum status from Candid (formerly Guidestar), a distinction given to less than one percent of nonprofit organizations.



Of course, while this flagship project is compelling in itself, we still need your help to accelerate the fundraising campaign that will allow us to break ground before our authorizing legislation expires. So read on to learn how you can support Peace Corps Park, and please consider forwarding this email to people in your network, who can sign up for the newsletter themselves at peacecorpscommemorative.org/news.

Yours in service,



Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association (2013-22)
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Guatemala (1988-91)

GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

We have talked a lot about the inspirational power of Peace Corps Park, which will remind visitors of the importance of service and global partnership, but nowhere is this mission more directly expressed than in the inscriptions on the benches encircling the Park’s world map.

We’ve shared the text of the quotes themselves – from John F. Kennedy, Sargent Shriver, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nelson Mandela – and this month we’re taking a look at how those inscriptions will come to life in the Silver Cloud granite that will make up the Park’s benches.

That granite, which is quarried in the state of Georgia, is very dense, with low water retention. It’s just the type of granite that master stone carver Nick Benson prefers to work with. “The tighter the grain, the better for me – especially when dealing with a smaller character like we are using,” he says. “The finishing will come out really well with this material.”

Benson is a third-generation stone carver (his father carved the inscriptions for the John F. Kennedy Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery), and the latest owner and creative director of the John Stevens Shop that has been operating in Rhode Island since 1705. He brings his artistic expertise in calligraphy to his physical skill with a hammer and chisel to designs and letterforms that range from the classic to the modern. In 2010, he won a MacArthur “Genius” grant to explore how the digital world affects our perception of beauty, a topic that fascinates him as someone who works primarily in the analog medium of stone and sculpture.

If you have a choice between a machine-made thing and a handmade one, Benson says. “The handmade one is always better: It has inconsistencies, little details that reveal the human hand behind it, and that is what makes it beautiful.”

Indeed, Peace Corps Park’s design team, led by Larry Kirkland, initially explored inscribing the quotes using an automated sandblasting process but they were unsatisfied with the results. In this case, the human hand is superior to the machine, so Benson joined the team.

The first task was to choose a font. It would need to be one whose lines are bold enough to show up well in stone, as you lose about 15 percent of the weight that you see on a screen when you carve the letters into granite. He also wanted to use a more modern look, rather than the ancient-Roman style common in other commemorative works of Washington, D.C., so he selected a more contemporary sans-serif font.

“It’s bold but fun, with a little sweep to the stroke that gives it some character,” he said. Benson created the font for the Yale University Art Gallery, and used it for the Four Freedoms Park Memorial on Roosevelt Island in New York.

Benson has also worked on the Eisenhower and MLK memorials, and finds his own inspiration in the words that commemorate such important symbols in American history. “When I’m on site managing a project I often find myself stepping back and seeing one of these inscriptions and it hits you like a sledgehammer,” he says. 



Speaking of the quotes that he and his team will carve into the Peace Corps Park benches at the fabrication site in Wisconsin, he adds, “Yes, these ideas were spoken in a specific era and context but they transcend time. That’s what hits so hard: These words are for all time.”

Introducing our 2024 Annual Report

Making the case for Peace Corps Park

As many in our community know, federal rules for new commemorative works mean that we can’t break ground on Peace Corps Park until all needed construction costs are fully accounted for. This means that our fundraising efforts are the top priority of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, with Chief Advancement Officer Glenn Blumhorst meeting with prospective donors of all kinds – both from within the Peace Corps community and from philanthropists who may not have a direct connection to the program.

One of the key materials in making the case for the Park is a slide presentation that gives an overview of the project and where it stands, our mission and our plans to support the educational and inspirational function of the Park once it is built. We’ve decided to share this presentation on our website, for all those in our community who are curious about how we talk about the project in our fundraising efforts.

Check it out on our website at peacecorpscommemorative.org/about and share the link with anyone in your network who you think might be interested in supporting the project!

Platinum status for transparency

How to get involved: RPCV Groups

The generous support we have received from the grassroots efforts of RPCV affinity groups has totaled more than $120,000 for Peace Corps Park so far – proving that when our community unites around a shared vision, we can move mountains.

Groups across the country are sparking conversations about our collective legacy, sharing stories, and building momentum for a project that will honor every RPCV’s service for generations to come.

Every single group has a unique power to amplify this movement. Whether you represent 15 returned volunteers or 150 of them, your network trusts you – and that trust is invaluable in spreading our vision and finding new sources of support. If you and your group is ready to get involved and advocate for Peace Corps Park, there are several great ways to do that:



1. Spread the word effortlessly – Have your board and members subscribe to our newsletter. You’ll get updates on all progress and milestones, event announcements, deep looks at the work and thought that goes into designing and building a new federal commemorative work, and inspiring stories from our community that you can share with just one click.
2. Amplify on social media – Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for ready-to-share content about the project. One repost from your group account reaches dozens of RPCVs we might never connect with otherwise.
3. Explore a deeper partnership – Email our community outreach officer Ari Richard at arichard@peacecorpscommemorative.org to discuss setting up a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign and other collaboration opportunities tailored to your group’s interests.

The momentum is building for Peace Corps Park, and you have a chance to be part of its story with your support noted on the Park’s website forever. Don’t let your group miss being part of this historic effort to enshrine our shared values in the landscape of our nation’s capital.

If you or your group are interested in learning the details of our plans for Peace Corps Park, Glenn spends a great deal of his time traveling across the country and back, meeting with stakeholders across all 50 states. He is always happy to share the vision in person—and there’s a good chance he’s already planning to be in your area! Just reply to this email and let Glenn know if you’d like to arrange a meetup. Up next:

Aug. 31       Arlington, VA: NoVa Summer Potluck

Sept. 21      Bozeman, MT: Annual RPCV group meeting

Oct. 3-4     Washington, D.C.: Peace Corps Iran conference

Oct. 7        New York City: Peace Corps Park reception

Oct. 8        Boston: Peace Corps Park reception

Oct. 30      Washington, D.C.: Peace Corps Park reception

Connect with us on social media

Whether or not you’ve been able to support the project with a donation, an easy way to amplify your impact is to give us a boost on social media. Follow us and re-share our posts to help raise awareness in your network!

@PeaceCorpsPark on Instagram | @PeaceCorpsPark on Facebook | @PeaceCorpsPark on LinkedIn

PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

PEACE CORPS COMMEMORATIVE FOUNDATION
Compassion   Generosity   Perseverance

Please note our new preferred mailing address:
5636 Connecticut Avenue, NW Ste 42143
Washington, DC 20015

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