January Newsletter

     Annual Campaign

Would you like to get more involved with SEAPAX and our local RPCV community? There is no better way to do this than to serve on our Board. We are looking to fill the following Board position:

• Grants Chair - Oversees and runs the Grants Committee, which awards up to $500 grants to community-based projects in Washington State and countries around the world. The Grants Committee reviews grant applications, nominates grant awardees to the Board, and updates grant policies and forms as needed.

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

       Advocacy

THANK YOU to everyone who answered our call last month to contact your legislators and urge them to support Peace Corps' level funding for Fiscal Year 2021. As the 116^th Congress adjourns and a new year begins, we would like to say, WE DID IT! In its final days in session, Congress approved our request of $410M. This would not have been possible if not for all of you who sent letters, made phone calls, and stressed the importance of Peace Corps, especially as volunteers prepare to return to host communities later this year. You can read more about how this story developed and more victories for Peace Corps here.

Two other noteworthy achievements from late 2020:

• Unanimous passage in both the House and the Senate to extend work on the Peace Corps Commemorative Project. This project aims to honor the legacy of Peace Corps and RPCVs through an art installation at Peace Corps Park in Washington, D.C.
• In the Fiscal Year 2021 package, language was included to instruct the PC to have a strategy to provide menstrual hygiene products for volunteers, regardless of country of service. This directive addresses an issue with some posts not having adequate funding to make these resources available.

That’s all for now; the Advocacy Coordinators will be in touch as this new Congress gets under way and we work with the NPCA to support Peace Corps in its redeployment of volunteers!

     Calendar Sales

It's not too late to order your 2021 RPCV International Calendars! 

These calendars keep us connected to the countries and people with whom we served, support our SEAPAX small grants program, and work towards the 3rd goal: bringing the world back home. When you follow the directions below, you get $1 off the regular price of $15, and 40% of the proceeds support our SEAPAX small grants program!

This year, we are partnering with the RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison, who created this beautiful calendar, to provide contactless delivery.

To order:

       1. Go to rpcvcalendar.org
       2. Fill out the form to order your calendar(s).
       3. Use our code: PC4SEAPAX
       4. Calendars will ship to the address of your choice!

Questions? Email us.