SEAPAX Monthly Newsletter
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October Newsletter
Annual Board Election Results
We would like to thank all those who participated in and voted in our Board elections. Voting is officially over, and by acclamation, we would like to congratulate the following newly-elected board members:
- President: Brad Cleveland
- Vice President: Brendan Chiesa
- Treasurer: Joshua Jackson
- Director-at-Large: Carolee Walters
- Director-at-Large: John Berry
- Director-at-Large: Britany Ferrell
We are still looking to fill the following Board positions:
- Secretary - Writes and maintains written records of organization, including, but not limited to: meeting agendas and minutes, official documents and correspondences, and an annual organizational report.
- Advocacy Co-Chair - As part of a team, the Advocacy Co-Chairs educate the RPCV community and elected officials on Peace Corps issues such as the budget, expanded healthcare, employment after service, and volunteer safety.
If you are interested and/or would like to learn more, please email us.
Calendar Sales
It's time 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!
NPCA Board Election
We are pleased to congratulate SEAPAX member Kim Herman on his election as the West Region representative to the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Board of Directors! Kim served in the Dominican Republic from 1967-1969 as a rural community development volunteer, building schools and agricultural access roads, among other projects. He is the current president of Friends of the Dominican Republic.
"I am excited to represent the affiliate groups from the West Region on the NPCA Board, and I look forward to communicating with you about the issues you would like NPCA to focus on, and what your groups are doing both in the U.S. and the countries where you served," says Kim.
You may reach Kim at hermanmk@comcast.net or 425-985-7195.
Advocacy
Your SEAPAX Advocacy Team has been hard at work during the congressional recess. We organized virtual meetings with staff of members of Congress Pramila Jayapa, Adam Smith, and Derek Kilmer, and participated in a meeting with Senator Maria Cantwell's office (organized by Spokane's RPCV group). In these meetings, we expressed support for PC funding and pending legislation, particularly that supporting evacuated volunteers. All legislative staffers were receptive to our messages.
The latest NPCA update included:
- John Lewis/George Floyd Legislation: With the ongoing urgency to address racial injustice here at home, NPCA's Board of Directors gave approval to a resolution for our advocacy efforts to include support for passage of the "John Lewis Voting Rights Enhancement Act" (S. 4263) and the George Floyd "Justice in Policing Act" (S. 3912).
- The 60th anniversary year of Peace Corps begins October 14th, the date John F. Kennedy spoke at the University of Michigan and asked if the assembled crowed would be willing to serve their country by living and working in a developing nation. Local chapters will be asked to plan commemorative activities during the anniversary year.
As always, further PC advocacy information is available here. For more information about the SEAPAX Advocacy Team, email Beth.
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Calendar and Graduate School
Book Club
Join us for the final book club meeting of 2020!
Sunday, October 11
3 pm - meet.google.com/mbv-drbq-dzs
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Please email us with suggestions for next year's books.
Graduate School Opportunity
The Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) Program at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts will soon be accepting applications for enrollment in fall 2021.
Applicants who complete the financial aid application will be considered for the HKS Peace Corps Public Service Fellowship, a fellowship awarded to a recent Peace Corps alumnus who exemplifies the Peace Corps mission. As a demonstration of their commitment to public service, the recipient must be professionally employed in the public sector, broadly defined, for three years upon graduation.
Check out the program website above or email RPCV Sarah Olia with questions.
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Welcome
New Members
Welcome to our newest SEAPAX members who joined this summer!
- Dylan Blake, Indonesia 2015-17
- Alexander Orland, Russia 1996-98
- Asha Farah
- Austin Bradford, Guyana 2019-22
- Kj (Kristin) Petterson, Namibia 2011-13
- Sarah Davies, The Gambia 2005-07
- Michael Ogden, Fiji 1982-84
- Michael Chen
- Meg Densmore, Benin 2008-10
- Carol Ingram
- Tico Sandoval
- Lucia DeCosta, Costa Rica 2015-17
- Freaselam Belay, Niger 2007-09
- Peter Bunin, Fiji 1984-86
- Russell Love, Togo 1970-73
- Patrick Berridge, Namibia 2019-20
- Allan Bogutz, Jamaica 1973-75
- Abigail Anderson
Peace Corps Regional Recruiter
Yet another welcome: this one to Angelena Castro, the new Peace Corps Recruiter working within Washington! Angelena served as a Youth Development Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where she worked in an elementary school with students aged 12-15 in self-empowerment groups, English language classes, and sex education.
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