Summer Picnic - Save the Date!

We are excited to announce the return of our annual Summer Picnic!

This will of course depend on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are preparing to host this year's picnic at Magnuson Park on August 21st at 1 p.m. Please save the date!

The Summer Picnic is typically one of our largest events of the year and is a great way to catch up with and meet new RPCVs. More details to come!

2021 RPCV Regional Campout

This event is currently sold out. If any additional space becomes available in our reserved campsites, we will let you know.

As a potential alternative, you can check the Sol Duc Hot Springs reservation system to see if other individual campsites are available in the campground, which you will need to secure yourself. RVers are also expected to reserve their spaces through this system.

Thursday, August 12 - Sunday, August 15

Sol Duc Campground | Clallam County, Washington

Open Non-Elected Board Position

Would you like to get more involved with SEAPAX and our local RPCV community?

There is no better way to do so than to serve on our Board. We are looking to fill the following non-elected Board position immediately:

Regular Events Chair

• Leads an events committee, which is responsible for the planning and execution of regularly occurring events (i.e. happy hours, eats-out, book club, etc.)
• Looking for a dependable individual who enjoys planning and participating in social events
• 1-year commitment (minimum)

If you are interested and/or would like to learn more, please email us.

Member Spotlight - Phil Venditti

If you attended our March Story Slam, you’ve already met June’s featured member, Phil Venditti, and you won’t be surprised to learn that in the decades since serving as an education volunteer (Korea, 1976-1978), Phil went on to earn a Ph.D. in educational administration, wrote/edited four books, hosted an international/intercultural TV show, and finally retired after 27 years in college administration. Phil’s Peace Corps story is also a wonderful love story! In this month’s spotlight read about how he met his wife, Yuna Min, a co-teacher, and the special mandate Peace Corps had for his K-40 volunteer cohort. If you missed the slam, or would like to listen to the stories again, the recording is available here; Phil’s segment begins at approximately 24 minutes.

Read the full spotlight »

Next month, we will spotlight some of our members who were evacuated in March 2020. Where were they serving? How did they get the call to start packing? And what are they doing now? Email Kathleen to share your evacuation and reentry story.

NPCA Board Elections

NPCA is seeking individuals with strong leadership skills and experience helping non-profit organizations execute strategy and plans to serve on the NPCA Board of Directors! They have a particular interest in candidates who will help enhance the diversity of the board and membership, have extensive experience in fundraising/finance, and can bring new resources, partnerships, and expertise, especially in membership development, human resources, and non-profit law. They value an affinity for Peace Corps ideals.

They welcome expressions of interest in board service at any time, with official board nominations for the 2021 elections due by June 9. The next round of elections will be June 16 -July 16, 2021.

Member-elected directors for the following divisions are up for election in 2021:

• Europe, North and East Africa
• Northeast
• MidAtlantic and Nationwide

Find more information on the NPCA website.

Support Local Refugees

The Peace Corps Community for Refugees (PCC4R) has invited SEAPAX to partner with the regional affiliate of the Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service, Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW).

There are many ways you can support refugees and immigrants through LCSNW’s program, such as sponsoring a family, teaching English, or driving people to appointments. See the full list of opportunities here.  

If you are interested in volunteering with LCSNW, please contact Emma at 253-617-4385 or eloest@lcsnw.org and say you are a SEAPAX member.

New SEAPAX Merchandise!

Check out our newly available SEAPAX merchandise - t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, baby clothes, and more!

75% of all proceeds go toward our grants program which supports community-based projects in both Washington State and countries around the world. See our Merchandise page for details, and visit the site below to order.

Order merchandise >>

Advocacy

On Friday May 28, President Biden sent the details of his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022 to Congress, including continued flat funding for Peace Corps for the 7th year in a row ($410.5 million). This stands in stark contrast to bipartisan House legislation introduced in March that would provide $450 million in funding to ensure the implementation of critical reforms.

As Peace Corps prepares to return volunteers to host countries, we are seeking our own volunteers here in WA to write letters to your local newspapers to help spread the word of the need for increased support for PC. The Advocacy Coordinators have all the information you need to write a letter, including templates! Email Beth for more information.

Welcome to our newest SEAPAX member who joined in June!

• Scott Bash, Barbados 1985-1987