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SEAPAX Monthly Newsletter

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February Monthly Newsletter

Advocacy

National Day of Action: On March 5th, Erin Branigan will represent SEAPAX in Washington, D.C. alongside over 170 advocates from 28 states for the 16th annual Capitol Hill Day of Action. This event focuses on sharing the importance of Peace Corps with congressional representatives to ensure a continuation of Peace Corps support.

Peace Corps Funding: The President is expected to release his federal budget to Congress around February 10th, and we expect to see a cut to Peace Corps funding. For the past four years, annual funding has remained stagnant at approximately $410 million. The National Peace Corps Association plans to make the case for $450 million, which adjusts for inflation and addresses additional spending needs.

SEAPAX is coordinating visits with Washington State's federal legislators on the House Appropriations Committee in hopes of mobilizing their support for Peace Corps funding. If you would like to participate in these visits, please contact Beth Alhstrom.

The more our elected members of Congress hear from constituents about this, the greater the chance for more Peace Corps funding! Click here to send an email to your representative. (You can find who represents your district here.)

Grants

Flash Give Jar: Thank you to all who filled the Flash Give Jar at our Holiday Party. We donated $50 to a Peace Corps Partnership Project in Senegal, implemented by a volunteer from Washington. The project will build a solar pump to improve the village pump's water flow. It will also create a women's garden close to the pump to lessen workload and danger for women growing food for their families.

2020 Grant Cycle: The 2020 Grant Cycle is now open for Small Grant requests. Please see the SEAPAX website for details and application. This is your calendar sales revenue paying it forward to projects in Washington or internationally that we will support in Peace Corps style!

Peace Corps Connect 2020 Conference & Planning Committee

Planning for the Peace corps Connect 2020 Conference is in process! We expect

registration to open between February and March. The dates and venue have been confirmed:

July 16th-18th, 2020

University of Washington, Seattle campus

We are still looking for people to join the Peace Corps Connect 2020 Conference Planning Committee. The best way to do so is to join one (or more!) of our sub-committees:

Speakers
Community Workshops/Breakout Sessions
Venue
Housing
Catering
Communications/Marketing/Logistics
Special Events (e.g. A Towering Task screening & opening night reception)

If you are interested in joining or learning more about the roles and responsibilities, please email us. Additionally, please feel free to send any other conference ideas or things to consider.

Open Board Positions

Non-Elected Board Positions: 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 would like to fill the following are non-elected board positions immediately:

Events Co-Chair
Communications Chair

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

Social Media: We are also seeking a volunteer to manage our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn). To learn more and apply please contact us.

Monthly Calendar

Seattle Global Networking Happy Hour

Tuesday February 4th, 5.30-8.30 pm

Optimism Brewing Company (1158 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98115)

This event is hosted by Global Washington, Pangea Giving, the World Affairs Council and Washington Global Health Alliance. SEAPAX members are welcome to attend! There is no need to RSVP.

For more information, please visit the event page.

Happy Hour

Wednesday February 19th, 5.30-7.30 pm

Tin Room Bar (923 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA 98166)

Volunteer with One Vibe Africa

Thursday February 6th, 5-9 pm

Seattle Art Museum (1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101)

Join One Vibe Africa THIS Thursday for Kijiji Night! They are still looking for volunteers to help with the event.

If you are interested, please email the Service Chair ASAP. Come help support this amazing organization!

Book Club

Please join us for February's book club meeting!

Sunday February 9th, 3-5 pm

Boon Boona Coffee (724 S 3rd St, Renton, WA 98057)

Small Country by Gael Faye

Peanut Stew Cook-Off Luncheon

SEAPAX's annual Peanut Stew Cook-Off is back! Peanut stew is one of the most popular dishes across West Africa, and many other parts of the world, so come and show your cooking skills or simply enjoy a new cuisine!

We have invited representatives from several local organizations to this year's Cook-Off. They will each give a short talk about their organization and how our community can potentially support their work. This will be a great opportunity to network and learn more about what local organizations are doing domestically and abroad! Pangea Giving and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation are already confirmed.

Saturday February 22nd, 12-3 pm

Private residence in the Magnolia neighborhood (RSVP to get the address)

Potluck: Please bring any dish, drink, or dessert you would like to share (it doesn't have to be peanut stew!) and please label ingredients.

RSVP with subject line 'Peanut Stew Cook-Off' here.

All RPCV's and guests welcome! This is a family-friendly event.

Calendar Look Ahead

Graduate School Opportunities for RPCV's

Are you considering going back to school to earn a graduate degree? Are you wondering if any local universities offer scholarships to RPCV's?

If you answered 'yes' to either of these questions, please join us for a 15-20 minute presentation by Dr. Jane Harmon Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs is a Special Assistant for Academic Affairs at Antioch University. She will provide an overview of graduate programs and scholarhips offered at Antioch and discuss how their academic programs could be a good fit for RPCV's.

Sunday March 1st, 12.30-1 pm (immediately following SEAPAX Board meeting)

Antioch University (202 A&B, 2400 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121)

Antioch University is a secured building, so please RSVP here at least one day prior to the event with the subject line 'Antioch University Presentation' to receive the door code.

Upcoming Service Opportunity

Saturday, May 16th, 9 am

The next SEAPAX service event will be with the Village Bicycle Project. We will be loading a large container of bikes near the Georgetown neighborhood, which will be sent to rural communities in Ghana and Sierra Leone as part of their bike collection and distribution project. The event will start around 9 am and last until all bikes are loaded.

No previous skills required--the event organizers will teach you everything you need to know. Lunch will be provided. Please spread the word and come with family or friends! If you are interested in signing up or have any questions, please email the Service Chair. You can find more information about Village Bicycle Project here.

SEAPAX Day of Service

Sunday, July 19th

Save the date! The SEAPAX Day of Service will directly follow the Peace Corps Connect conference here in Seattle. More information will be posted to the events calendar on the SEAPAX website and in next month's newsletter as it becomes available.

Calendars for Sale

Support SEAPAX's small grants program by purchasing a calendar at SEAPAX events and via mail order for a reduced price! The calendars are $11 dollars each, and if you purchase 5 or more they are $9 each.

Perpetual calendars remain at $10 each, and notecard sets remain at $8 each.

New Members

Welcome to SEAPAX's newest members who joined in January!

Joanna Sylwester
Adrian Junus
Nicole Schaffer
Brittany Ferrell
Asha Langton
Nikia Crollard

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Seattle Area Peace Corps Association (SEAPAX)
PO Box 77712 -
Seattle, WA, 98177

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