March & April SEAPAX Events Cancelled
SEAPAX is suspending all events until further notice. This is out of an abundance of caution to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
On March 11th, Governor Jay Inslee issued a proclamation that bans all gatherings larger than 250 people. On the same day, Public Health—Seattle & King County also issued an order that prohibits gatherings less than 250 people unless measures are taken to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19.
We are disappointed to have to cancel events, but we feel this is the best course of action for our community at this time.
We will keep you posted on the status of our regularly scheduled and annual events.
Cancelled events (March & April):
- 3/18 Happy Hour - Wild Rover
- 3/21 Ski Trip/Brewery Crawl (Contact Josh Jackson if you had planned on joining the ski trip)
- 4/12 Book Club
- April Happy Hour
We wish good health, safety, and community to all.
Peace Corps Connect 2020 Conference Update
Due to COVID-19, we have temporarily postponed the planning of the conference.
We are monitoring the situation closely and hope to make a decision by the end of March on how best to proceed.
The top priority in our decision making is the health and well-being of our friends, families, and communities.
Stay tuned for further updates.
Calendars for Sale!
It's your last chance to purchase a SEAPAX calendar for a reduced price! Support SEAPAX's small grants program by purchasing a calendar at SEAPAX events and via mail order. The calendars are $7 dollars each, and if you purchase 3 or more they are $4 each. Don't miss this incredible deal!
Advocacy
Washington State was well-represented at the NPCA's annual National Day of Action on Capitol Hill on March 5th. The WA delegation included SEAPAX members Erin Branigan and Jonathan Green, in addition to two RPCVs from Spokane and one from Renton. Our team members met with staffers for Senators Cantwell and Murray, and Representatives Heck, Jayapal, McMorris-Rogers, and A. Smith. It was an amazing day, with 220 RPVCs swarming the Hill. Representative Joe Kennedy III opened the day and Representative Donna, Shalala closed the day -- both are RPCVs. NPCA provided impeccable organization and guidance and is a great organization for anyone who wants to understand better how the government and Peace Corps funding work. (One additional take-home: Capitol Hill seems to be run by staffers in their 20's, for whom we are grateful!)
Regarding PC legislation: NPCA and Day of Action RPCVs followed up on their recent meetings to ensure that many Senators and Representatives sign on to "Dear Colleague" letters that urge the passage of a funding increase for Peace Corps to $450M from the President's proposed $401M (a $9M cut). If you would like to learn more about this initiative as well as NPCA advocacy efforts (and how you can help), check out NPCA's Budget Advocacy page.
If you would like to get involved in advocacy efforts locally, please contact Advocacy Co-Chair Beth Alhstrom.
Open 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 non-elected Board position immediately:
If you are interested and/or would like to learn more, please email us.
