January Newsletter: Peace Corps Park starting 2024 off right!

January 25, 2024

January Newsletter: Peace Corps Park starting 2024 off right!

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Dear Supporters,


As we begin 2024, I am immensely grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support for Peace Corps Park by this community during our year-end fundraising campaign. Thanks to your partnership, enthusiasm, and generous philanthropy, we have surpassed our 2023 fundraising goal of $2.5 million. We are starting the year well on our way to the $10 million goal that will allow us to break ground on this important project. 


With your leadership, Peace Corps Park is not just possible, it is happening!


The Foundation’s capital campaign launched in earnest in 2023, with the first and foremost objective being to raise awareness of Peace Corps Park to lay the groundwork for our long-term mission. To that end, last year I traveled to 25 states to visit with stakeholders from across our community about this project. It was gratifying to hear your ideas and share your excitement as you rallied around our vision.


With the final design nearing completion, we anticipate presenting it to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for review by midyear. Construction documents will define the work to be done by the contractors involved in bringing the Park to reality. Meanwhile, our team continues to conceptualize the visitor experience, including plans for interfacing our digital companion with the National Park Service’s virtual assistant and wayfinding strategy for the National Mall. 


This month, we welcome Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch (Malaysia 1964-66) to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation Advisory Board. In accepting her nomination, Ambassador Bloch shared her excitement: “I can’t think of a better time for me to rejoin the Peace Corps family. The world needs peace today more than ever. I see Peace Corps Park in the heart of our nation’s capital as a living memorial to inspire the search for world peace through service. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being a part of this great endeavor.”  


I am thankful for the visionary leadership of our board of directors and advisory board members, the generous contributions of our supporters, and the extraordinary response of the whole community to this flagship initiative. 


Please help us keep the momentum going by becoming a monthly supporter - even a commitment of $10 a month makes a difference.


Yours in service,

An image of Glenn Blumhorst's handwritten signature

Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation


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


GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org

In partnership with the National Park Service

With a commitment to maintaining Peace Corps Park in perpetuity, the National Park Service is a key strategic stakeholder in bringing our vision to our nation's capital. They have been with us throughout the approvals process and have been a valuable thought partner on how to ensure the site lives up to our ambitions to establish a permanent place to inspire generations of Americans around the values of service, partnership and peace.


Central to this effort are the National Park Service’s iPhone and Android apps, which help visitors find their way with interactive maps, park tours and more. We are excited to work with the talented NPS team to ensure that Peace Corps Park is included and highlighted to app users who visit the National Mall, as well as to connect them with the dedicated digital experience that we are working on to bring the Park to life digitally.


We thank Robin Nixon and her whole team at NPS for being such valuable partners and look forward to collaborating even more closely as the park takes shape.


An image of PCCF's Glenn Blumhorst and Roger Lewis with NPS's Robin Nixon (left) and Sophia Kelly

PCCF Welcomes New Advisory Board Member

An image of Maria Shriver

Our Advisory Board serves the Foundation as a champion for Peace Corps Park. Members share their gifts in service to the Foundation's mission by providing their professional expertise, diverse knowledge of constituent perspectives, connections to local, national, or international resources, colleagues or peers, philanthropic support and many other forms of needed assistance. This month, we welcome Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch to the PCCF Advisory Board. 


See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.


Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch is President of the US-China Education Trust, a nonprofit organization working in China to promote US-China relations through education. Ambassador Bloch, the first Asian American to hold such rank in US history, has had an extensive career in international affairs and government service, beginning as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sabah, Malaysia, in 1964, and culminating as US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal in 1989.


From 1981-1988, Ambassador Bloch served at USAID as Assistant Administrator for Food for Peace and Voluntary Assistance and as Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East. 


She also was the Chief Minority Counsel to a Senate Select Committee, a Senate professional staff member, the Deputy Director of the Office of African Affairs at the US Information Agency, a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and an Associate of the US-Japan Relations Program of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. 


After 25 years in government service, she moved to the corporate sector in 1993, becoming Group Executive Vice President at the Bank of America. From 1996-1998, she moved into philanthropy, serving as President and CEO of the United States-Japan Foundation. Beginning in 1998, she shifted her focus to China, first as Visiting Professor at the Institute for International Relations and Executive Vice Chairman of the American Studies Center at Peking University, and subsequently affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai. A native of China, she grew up in San Francisco and earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964, and a Masters degree in Government and East Asia Regional Studies from Harvard in 1967.

¡Adelante Colombia!


For decades, there has been an ongoing debate about which cohort of Peace Corps Volunteers – Colombia I, Ghana I, or Tanganyika (Tanzania) I – was the first to serve when the Peace Corps was established in 1961. But there is no doubt about which group is leading the way in support of Peace Corps Park. Sparked by their excitement about this legacy initiative, the Colombia I returned volunteer cohort – “Los Uneros” – has launched a spirited mini-campaign to raise funds from within their group, aiming for 100 percent participation. Having collectively raised more than $10,000, they are now challenging the Colombia II cohort and the 80 that followed to match or exceed that level. Colombia II currently stands at $7,000 and Colombia VIII is closing in, with $6,250 raised so far.



We’re excited to see how many other volunteer cohorts will rise to the challenge and take inspiration from Colombia’s leadership!

An image of Sargent Shriver with Colombia I volunteers in 1961

Fundraising Update


We continue to make good progress toward our campaign goal of $10 million, surpassing a milestone with $2.5 million, or 25 percent, of our goal committed so far. The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who have made generous contributions and/or pledges since November 21, 2023:


See the full list of cumulative gifts to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation on our website.


$25,000 - $49,999
Thomas and Patsy Lightbown*


$10,000 - $24,999
Robert Crooks*
Matthew Essieh*
Franklin Innes*
Diana MacArthur*
Josephine “Jody” Olsen*
JM Zell Partners, Ltd*


$5,000 - $9,999
Donna Anderson*
Johnny Bennett
J.C. Dumestre
Steven and Nancy Fischman
Priscilla Goldfarb*
Sherwood Guernsey
Donald R. and Haideh Lightfoot*
Mike and Natalie Hall
Scott and Muriel Nichols*


$2,500 - $4,999
Anonymous
Deborah Harding
Pete Johnson
Sandra Jaffee
Maddie Kadas
Joseph Kennedy, III*
Raymond and Judith McGuire*
Christopher and Jeannie Siegler
Sarah “Sally” Wells*


$1,000 - $2,499
Frank and Antoinette Almaguer*
Anthony Carroll
Charles and Martha Clifford
Nicholas Craw
Katherine Crosson
Peter Dalum
Karen DeGrange
Martia Glass*
Allan Hall
Lyle Harding
Kathleen Harnig*
Susan Hayes*
Carrie Hessler-Radelet*
Stephan Honore
Barbara Kelly
The Charles R. Larson Fund
Albert “Buster” Lewis
Dennis Lucey
Gwyn and Wilson Mason*
Earl McGinty
Colin Meghoo
Margaret Melun
Nancy Morrin
Marty Mueller
Mary Pendleton*
Murty Polavarapu*
Nancy Polich
Frank Price*
Bruce Richardson
George Scharffenberger
Allen Webb
Aaron Williams*
Jack and Angene Wilson*
Kermit Leslie Young


* New gift in addition to prior gift

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 your social media platform of choice! Follow us on any of the following networks, and re-share our posts to help raise awareness among your own community.

@PeaceCorpsPark on Instagram
@PeaceCorpsPark on Facebook 
@PeaceCorpsPark on LinkedIn
@PeaceCorpsPark on Twitter / X 


Connect with us in person


Like I did last year, throughout 2024 I’ll be hosting small gatherings and meeting with key stakeholders around the country to build awareness of Peace Corps Park. I’d love to connect with you or your group in the coming weeks to let you know about the project and our vision for how it will bring our community together once it’s built. Reply to this email and let me know if you’d like to arrange a meeting!


Feb 3      Washington, D.C.: Friends of Tanzania annual potluck
Feb 10       Northern Virginia annual meeting and potluck
Feb 22-26    South Florida
Apr 14-20   Antigua, Guatemala: Guatemala VII, VIII, and IX reunion
June 9-12    San Francisco Bay Area

An image of PCCF's Glenn Blumhorst with the Sacramento Valley RPCVs on Jan. 20, 2024
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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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,

April Newsletter: A robust, nonpartisan coalition for global peace and partnership

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March Newsletter: Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape

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February Newsletter: Now is the time to show our strength in unity

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January Newsletter: Our values need champions, and your voice matters

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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)
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