March Newsletter:
Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape
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A stone block being shaped for the Emanuel 9 Memorial in South Carolina, at the Quarra Stone Company
Dear Supporters,
The journey to build Peace Corps Park has been a long and–dare I say–arduous process, but with design approval secured late last year, we are thrilled to find ourselves moving on to the fun part: Preparing to actually build this lasting symbol of our shared values in Washington, D.C.
Our stellar design team, under the leadership of Larry Kirkland and Associates and Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, has been hard at work planning the execution of this ambitious legacy project ever since we got the green light in October, negotiating with our project management team to ensure the Park can efficiently be realized to the highest standard.
The key takeaway to this moment is this: Peace Corps Park is no longer just an idea, no longer just a design or a concept on a piece of drafting paper. There is real stone to cut, actual inscriptions to carve, granite to texture for the world map, trees to plant. We are now able to start the actual work, fabricating the stone benches and pavers to be ready for groundbreaking at the Park’s site on Louisiana Ave., a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol building and the National Mall.
This moment also represents a new phase of our fundraising: With money being spent to begin the off-site work that will bring the design vision to life, it’s essential that we ramp up our capital campaign to ensure that no disruptions to the timeline are caused by a lack of resources.
The generosity of this community – including the leadership of our board, the partnership of RPCV groups, and the leading gifts we received in 2024 from Jacqueline Mars and Ces Butner – has advanced us almost halfway to our revised goal, and we know that it can get us to the finish line.
With regulatory and design requirements largely satisfied, we ask everyone in our community, as well as the people in your network who share our values of peace and global partnership, to do everything you can to help make Peace Corps Park a reality. Whether through a generous donation of your own, or by amplifying our messages with your networks over email or social media, every one of us can do our part to ensure that the Peace Corps legacy occupies a permanent place in our nation’s story, carved into stone to inspire future generations.
We appreciate your continued support, and are honored to have your partnership.
Yours in service,
Glenn A. Blumhorst
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Foundation
President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association (2013-22)
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Guatemala (1988-91)
GBlumhorst@PeaceCorpsCommemorative.org
Increasing clarity on the path to Peace Corps Park
It was September 2020 that the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts first approved the design concept for Peace Corps Park, setting off a four-year process of refinement with various agencies and partners that culminated in final design approval in October 2024.
Securing that final approval means that we are now in the construction planning process, getting everything aligned and ramping up our fundraising efforts to put chisel to stone and build our way to groundbreaking.
This phase is providing us with a more precise understanding of the costs for artwork fabrication, site construction and landscaping, and we will be revising our fundraising goal accordingly to ensure the park meets the highest standards and fulfills its ambitious promise.
As part of the process, our team is also establishing a clearer timeline for Peace Corps Park, to anticipate what financial targets will have to be met to keep up with the outlays needed for all of the off-site fabrication that needs to be completed before breaking ground in 2026. Some key milestones on the road ahead:
- Final construction documents
- Bench and stone mockups
- Specific granite selection
- Stone fabrication
- Hard construction begins
- Completion and dedication
- Commissioning
This timeline reflects our commitment to deliver a thoughtfully designed and meticulously crafted park experience, and we will continue to share our progress with you as the physical work proceeds alongside our fundraising campaign.
We are encouraged to have raised almost $6 million so far thanks to the generosity of this dedicated community, and as we enter this next phase of the process, we invite you to continue making an impact on this extraordinary endeavor. Together, we are shaping a lasting space that honors the profound legacy of the Peace Corps in our nation’s capital.
New exhibit puts Peace Corps on display
Our partners at the
Museum of the Peace Corps Experience celebrated the opening of a new exhibit hosted at the International Peace Museum in Dayton, Ohio last month. Ubuntu in Action: Exploring the Peace Corps and Shared Humanity features artifacts, photographs, videos, and interactive exhibits representing the many facets of Peace Corps life.
The centerpiece of the collection, Patchwork of Peace (1990), is a nearly 30-foot-long community quilt made from individual panels that narrate a volunteer’s experience with fabrics and messages from around the world. The massive work is a living tapestry of collective memory and cultural expression, and a powerful embodiment of social cohesion that has resonated loudly with the exhibit’s visitors.
The Museum team marked the opening with an event on January 31 and are excited to receive anyone in the Dayton area throughout the duration of the show, which is scheduled to run until April 27.
Carol Spahn joins advisory board
The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s Advisory Board serves as a champion for Peace Corps Park and a valuable source of strategic insight. Members provide their professional expertise, diverse knowledge of community perspectives, connections to local, national, and international resources and many other forms of assistance. This month, we are honored to welcome former Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn to our team.
See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.
New website, same mission
Today we are happy to announce an updated website on a new platform that will better support our fundraising efforts, so you’ll see some changes the next time you visit us at peacecorpscommemorative.org.
We’ve made our Supporters page easier to navigate and find all donors by name, as well as donations made in tribute. We will honor every donor on our virtual donor wall, with their name etched in digital stone in perpetuity, their contributions a permanent part of the Peace Corps Park story.
We’ve included more information about the Park’s design story, and built our newsletter archive back to the first edition, capturing the evolution of our project since the capital campaign began in earnest.
Help us amplify our impact by forwarding our emails to your network, or sharing a link to the new site and encouraging them to join us!
Fundraising Update
As the Peace Corps Park fundraising campaign approaches the $6 million mark, we gratefully acknowledge the following donors who have made generous new contributions and/or pledges since February 26, 2025.
See our growing list of cumulative gifts to Peace Corps Park
* New gift in addition to prior gift
$50,000 - $99,999
Eleanor R. Lewis in memory of Roger K. Lewis*
Maureen Orth*
$20,000 - $49,999
D. Wylie and Janet Greig*
Matthews Family Charitable Fund
Bob Vila
$10,000 - $19,999
George and Carol Chaffey
$5,000 - $9,999
Randolph Adams
G. Kenneth and Ann Baum
Philanthropic Fund
Tom Bloch and Jessica Wolfe
Karen Keefer*
Ruth O. Selig, William O. Selig and
Deborah O. Selig in memory of
Roger K. Lewis
Robert and Judith Terry*
$1,000 - $4,999
Donald and Kae Dakin
Katherine (Kay) and Kevin Dixon*
Friends of Malaysia*
Edmond and Peggy Kavounas
Tim Lawler
Other gifts to $999
Anonymous
Barry S. Adamson*
Sierra Anderson
Skip Auld
Arlene Barilec
Kevin Cavanaugh*
Charities Aid Foundation of America*
Peter Cross
David and Audrey Fielding
Tim Frahme
Betty Gerner
Patrick Grecco
Jacqueline Hayes
Pete Helgren
Cindy Holcomb
Linda Howell Gray
Rita Hurley-Chiles
Carolyn Jacobyu
Ever Loved Inc.*
Taylor Kay
Rosemary KimBal
Louise Krumm
Michele Lagoy*
Russell Lawrence
Marlene Martin
Nancy McLure
Lawrence Miller
Mink-Ling Family Charitable Fund
Joyce Mary Moses
Paul Mullins
Alex Orland
Adrian Paul
PayPal Giving Fund*
Lynda Phillipp
Vernon Phillips
John and Eileen Quigley
Daniel Schall
William Selig
Laura Sofen
Daniel Sperling
Don Spiers
Floyd Thompson
Linda Vene
PEACE CORPS PARK AMBASSADORS
(Donors making recurring monthly contributions of any size)
Sue Aiken
Linda Barnett
Matthew Baysden
Rick Bird
Anthony Carroll
Ellen Davis-Zapata
Elizabeth Downes
Greg Emerson
John Feighery
Luis Garzon-Negreiros
G David Hicks
Peter Hofman
Ann Hopkins
Laura Kettel Khan
Roni Lerner Love
Phil Lopes
Deborah Manget
Cynda H. McMahon
Marty Mueller
Bill Piatt
Jessica Rogers
Robert Smythe
John Sommerhauser
Kathleen Williams-Ging
Darrel Young
Where is Glenn?
Chief Advancement Officer Glenn Blumhorst continues to travel the country – sometimes in his own airplane – meeting with Peace Corps community stakeholders across all 50 states. Whether you (or your group) are visiting our nation’s capital or hosting a meeting in your area, he is always happy to share the vision for Peace Corps Park in person and would love to connect. Reply to this email and let Glenn know if you’d like to arrange a meetup! Up next:
May 2-4 Albuquerque, NM: Peace Corps Bolivia Reunion (More info here)
June 1-4
New York City
June 11-15
Seattle
June 21*
Washington, D.C.: Donor Recognition Reception (date to be confirmed)
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
