February Newsletter: Important Updates from Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

February 24, 2023

FEBRUARY 2023 UPDATE

Dear Supporters,

Settling into my new leadership role at the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, I am truly grateful to be part of this unique initiative being created in the heart of the nation’s capital. It will permanently honor and symbolize the historic significance of the Peace Corps and its embodiment of timeless American ideals and values: compassion, generosity, perseverance.

I am honored to serve the Peace Corps community, as well as all Americans and peoples of the world, and to work with the Foundation’s distinguished board of directors in bringing the Commemorative to fruition.

This spring the Commemorative design team will undertake pre-construction phases of detailed design and engineering. This work will enable the Foundation to receive federal agency final approvals, negotiate construction contracts and obtain construction permits prior to ground-breaking.

With your help, we will break ground in late spring of 2024 and cut the ribbon later in the year.

That’s just around the corner!

Picture this...

A bus pulls up to the corner of Louisiana Avenue and 1st Street, NW steps from the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. As passengers – tourists, activists, or even immigrants arriving from the border – disembark, they are greeted by returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Whether meeting up with cohorts, hosting story slams, or volunteering for worthy causes, the Peace Corps community has a gathering place at Peace Corps Commemorative Park.

How will the Peace Corps Commemorative come to life after the ribbon is cut?

What will the outreaching granite arms and the borderless map mean to those of us who have served, as well as to those yet to share in the life-transforming experience?

And if the Peace Corps itself one day no longer exists, how will Peace Corps Commemorative convey our ideals and values for future generations?

How will it inspire others to embrace volunteer service whether at home or abroad in the interest of creating a better world?

That is the conversation to which we now invite you, as we jointly move forward with the design concept.

Institutional and Corporate Support Continues to Grow

The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation has attracted valuable financial leadership from the international development community, where thousands of returning Volunteers find employment opportunities after their Peace Corps service. Institutional investment in the Commemorative has enabled early strides in our work and helped create momentum.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the following organizations that have collectively contributed more than $500,000 to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to date: Chemonics, Creative Associates International, DAI Global, FHI360, Global Communities, RTI International, University Research Corporation, World Education Services

And interest in the Peace Corps Commemorative extends well beyond the Peace Corps community. One of the Commemorative’s staunchest allies is Jeff Zell, whose real estate firm, JM Zell Partners, has contributed over $100,000 to the Commemorative. Jeff was so inspired by the Peace Corps Commemorative vision that he joined the Commemorative Foundation board of directors, while his former senior partner, Aida Downing, has donated countless hours of her time and talent since 2019.

Other organizations contributing include Alder Branch Realty, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and National Peace Corps Association.

Recognizing Our Supporters

Reiterating our President Roger Lewis’ gratitude in January’s inaugural newsletter, I want to also acknowledge the financial leadership of our Peace Corps community stakeholders who have generously contributed to advancing this important mission.

My conversations with many of you have guided and informed our thoughts about appropriate donor recognition. Our website now displays the cumulative donation of every supporter who has contributed at least $1,000 toward making the Commemorative project a reality. Take a moment to go to our supporters list at Peace Corps Commemorative Supporters.

Let's Connect!

I’ll be on the road building awareness of the Peace Corps Commemorative over the next several weeks - Florida in late March, California in late April, and New York in May. I hope we can connect and visit as I’d welcome your thoughts and insights about the Commemorative.

In service,

Glenn Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

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

GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

DONATE

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

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May Newsletter: Inspiring the next generation

May 29, 2025

May Newsletter: Inspiring the next generation

Bob Vila for Peace Corps Park: Not everything we build will last forever, but our values will

May 15, 2025

Most people know me from the almost 30 years I’ve spent on television hosting educational shows about home improvement, but what most of them don’t know is that my journey started in the Peace Corps. When I went to Panama to serve as an urban community development volunteer in 1969, it was my first time working with my hands to help people build shelter. Seeing the impact of that work was transformative, and I’ve dedicated myself and my philanthropic efforts to the cause of homelessness ever since, inspired by the values of community partnership that are at the heart of Peace Corps service. When I made the decision to serve, I didn’t know a single person in my high school who was interested in the Peace Corps except me. But in Panama–and ever since–I found a community of like-minded people who understand that when we work together, we can build truly meaningful things. It’s up to us to make sure America never forgets that. Because it seems that society has shifted, with young people today seeming more preoccupied with the material world and losing sight of the importance of altruistic pursuits, and with people becoming more polarized than ever. I don’t know how to fix this culture, but I know that the Peace Corps, and its mission, is part of the answer. Peace Corps Park is a critical commitment to our shared legacy, not only because of its physical role among the monuments and memorials of Washington, D.C., but also because of the digital experience that will tell the story of the Peace Corps to a much wider audience. That is why I’ve chosen to make a donation , and to support the effort by sharing a bit of my story, because reminding the world about our commitment to peace and partnership is critical at a time when relationships with our allies are being tested every day. Not everything we build will stand forever, but our values certainly will, and we must make sure that happens. So please join me in supporting Peace Corps Park and help us build this inspiring vision in the heart of our nation’s capital. Thank you for your support,

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Joe Kennedy III for Peace Corps Park: Peace Corps Park is about our identity as a nation

December 30, 2024

Dear Supporters, When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, trying to keep as low a profile as a six-foot tall red-headed American guy can, I remember a moment on a crowded bus when I felt a tap on my shoulder. A local man asked me, “are you from the Peace Corps?”, and told me that as a boy, his village didn’t have water until a Peace Corps Volunteer helped install a clean water system. He had never gotten the chance to thank that young man.

Kul Chandra Gautam for Peace Corps Park: Support the mission of peace and solidarity in Washington D.C. and the world

December 23, 2024

Dear Supporters, I write to you today as one of the thousands of Nepalis–and perhaps millions of people around the world–whose lives have been touched and transformed by their association with the Peace Corps.

Hon. Carrie Hessler-Radelet for Peace Corps Park: America needs Peace Corps Park, now more than ever

December 17, 2024

Dear Supporters, From my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa to my term as director of the Peace Corps, I have seen how lives are changed by people working together, through service, to further the cause of peace. That service is an important part of our nation's legacy. Americans have always stood for democracy, justice, equality, and service. The belief that what unites us is so much greater than that which divides us. The knowledge that, through service, we can create a better world together. These are the values that continue to draw people to our shores and reflect the best of America. Peace Corps Park is a space where stories of service will come alive—a place where we will celebrate the uniquely American spirit of Peace Corps dedicated to fostering understanding and building bridges of peace. It is a place where anyone, regardless of culture, race, faith, ethnicity, or background, can reflect upon the idea that we are all part of one human family. Peace Corps Park is more than a place on the map. It is a living, breathing testament to America’s compassion and perseverance in service of humanity. Please join me in ensuring that this symbol of the American idea becomes a reality, with a donation that will ensure future generations are inspired by the ideas that inspire us. Your generosity is not just an investment in a park; it is an investment in hope and the idea that, even in times of division, we can find common ground. That even when challenges feel insurmountable, we can persevere. That together, through compassion and action, we can create a world that reflects the very best of who we are. Many thanks for your support, and for your faith in the power of peace through service. Let’s work together to make our vision a reality. With warm regards,

Hon. Sam Farr for Peace Corps Park: Let’s give peace a permanent space in Washington, D.C.

December 10, 2024

Dear Supporters, When I was in Congress, they called me “Mr. Peace Corps” for my consistent advocacy on behalf of the agency that inspired me to 44 years of service in elected office. My two years in a poor barrio in Medellin, Colombia taught me how to listen to the needs of the people living around me to find real solutions to the problems felt by people in poverty everywhere. I learned that if someone has a safe place to sleep, access to education, and quality health care, then they have a chance in this world, and that philosophy has animated my lifelong commitment to service here in the U.S. The Peace Corps is a powerful idea that remains as bold as it was almost 65 years ago, and that boldness deserves a place among the monuments and memorials that decorate the landscape in Washington, D.C. Like me, tens of thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers learned how to hear, from listening in a foreign language and observing, from a place of total immersion, how to fix things abroad that also needed fixing back home. Our nation is stronger for it. Peace Corps Park is a ray of sunshine in a divided world, representing our belief that idealism gets results. Please join us in ensuring the Park becomes a reality at a time when we need to advocate loudly for our values . “Yes we can!” John F. Kennedy believed that telling the Peace Corps story back home was a lifetime commitment. I’m sure if he were alive now he’d still be saying, “Ask not what Peace Corps Park can do for you, but what you can do for the Park”. We are asking our community of supporters to help us raise the remaining amount needed to put shovels in the ground and to be part of the team that made this permanent symbol of peace and partnership in our nation’s capital a reality. Thank you. Give peace a chance. Sam Farr Peace Corps Colombia (1964-66) U.S. Congress, D-Carmel, Calif. (1993-2017)