November Newsletter: Peace Corps Park begins to take shape!

Dear Supporters,

There is a time in every major, long-term project when things become “real” and move from idea to execution. I’m pleased to share with you that Peace Corps Park took that step this week, for me at least, when I came down to Atlanta with members of our design and fabrication team to select, in person, the Silver Cloud granite that will be shaped into the Park’s three benches.

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

The timeline for Peace Corps Park is not something that can be set in stone (much depends on our fundraising momentum), but the literal granite that will form the Park’s three benches has been procured and that means we can start to plan for all the subsequent milestones that get us to construction at the site in Washington D.C.

Designer Larry Kirkland, Quarra Stone partners, and Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation team members visited Broad River Quarries outside of Atlanta this week to see the Silver Cloud granite in person and select the exact sections of stone that will be quarried for the Park.

Most important for this initial visit was for Larry to examine the grain pattern in different sections of the quarry to envision how it might best be oriented when formed into the curved bench design. With the highly contoured shape of the open-palmed hand that will be carved from one end of the stone, the specific direction of the grain can have a significant impact on the look and feel of the design.



With the granite selected and purchased, the next step will be to cut the actual blocks that will then be shipped to Quarra, our fabrication partner in Madison, Wisconsin, to be shaped. Because our granite is next in line to be cut, we anticipate loading the blocks for transport as soon as March. As usual, expect to see updates in our newsletter and social media channels of all milestones as Peace Corps Park takes shape!

Plan your end-of-year giving

With the end of 2025 coming up, we wanted to remind everyone that it’s never been easier to include Peace Corps Park in your annual giving, and we’re regularly integrating new ways to make it easier to support the project.

• For those in our community who are over 70 ½ years old and need to make required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their individual retirement accounts, your gift of up to $108,000 would be free from federal taxes (and state taxes as well, for some). 

• For those with Donor Advised Funds, our new partnership with DAFPay (see the option on our donation form) makes it easier than ever to direct funds to Peace Corps Park by providing a seamless connection with major fund administrators. 

For instructions on how to make your donation, visit the Ways to Give page on our website, and if you have a question you don’t see answered there, please let us know at info@peacecorpscommemorative.org. 

You ask, we answer

In Glenn’s many travels to share the vision for Peace Corps Park, and in our whole team’s many interactions with people in our community, we have heard many great questions from people interested in the many aspects to consider when building a new federal commemorative work.

We are pleased to share the answers to the more common and some less-common questions we have heard in a new FAQ page on our website. You can read about Park basics like timeline and budget, and about our contingency plans to ensure the best stewardship of donor funds.

If you have any questions that you don’t see answered, please let us know by replying to this email or by sending us a message at info@peacecorpscommemorative.org. 

Juliet Sorensen joins Advisory Board

Members of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation’s Advisory Board serve as champions and valuable sources of strategic insight, providing professional expertise, connections to local, national, and international resources and many other forms of assistance to further our mission. This month, we are honored to welcome Juliet Sorensen (Morocco 1995-97) to our team. See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.

Juliet brings 20 years of experience in the legal field, across academia, nonprofits and trial law. She currently serves as director of the Rule of Law Institute and Program in Rule of Law for Development (PROLAW) at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law, and previously was a clinical professor of law at the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law.

She also has experience in nonprofit leadership, serving as executive director of Injustice Watch, an award-winning nonprofit investigative journalism organization focused on systemic inequities in courts, and as the founder of the Northwestern Access to Health Project, a community-based partnership at the intersection of human rights, global health and development.

Juliet also brings a family connection with the Peace Corps, as her father, Theodore C. "Ted" Sorensen, was a principal speechwriter and Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy.

Our entire advisory board, board of directors and leadership team are thrilled to have Juliet’s expertise in service of Peace Corps Park, and know the project is elevated by her support.

If you or your group are interested in learning more about the construction planning phase of Peace Corps Park, Glenn regularly travels to meet 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:

Dec. 10-14   Northern California: Liberia IX Reunion 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

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