WorldView Magazine - Summer 2009 - (Page 5)

From the President MORE PEACE CORPS CAMPAIGN: BETTER AND BOLDER! The campaign changes gears by Kevin F. F. Quigley A fter two years of hard work and significant accomplishments, NPCA is beginning to develop a new phase of the More Peace Corps campaign. While continuing to push aggressively for more resources, we would like to focus more on a better and bolder Peace Corps. Here’s a brief recap of what the campaign has accomplished, and our plans. During the summer and fall of 2007, NPCA laid the groundwork for the More Peace Corps campaign by securing initial fundraising and reaching out to the Presidential candidates. We formally launched the campaign in January 2008. Since its launch, we have achieved a great deal. These noteworthy accomplishments result from the work of many hands. These include our indefatigable campaign coordinator Rajeev Goyal, persistent advocacy coordinator Jonathan Pearson, sagacious counselor Donald Ross, dedicated campaign fellows Damian Wampler, Jayne Booker, Brian Smith, and Sam Krege and the 14,671 committed volunteers who assisted the campaign— especially Janet Grieg, David Miron, Perry Collier, Tom Katus, William Tarpai, Judith McGuire and Priscilla Goldfarb. Following extensive community outreach, we launched a campaign website in June 2008. That month, we also held a major conference about reenvisioning the Peace Corps for its next 50 years. This conference concluded that this might be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advocate for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps. In early September 2008, we held an extraordinarily successful house party event with more than 2,000 participants in 42 states and 14 countries—including an event for 60 in Kabul, Afghanistan. NPCA was part of the organizing coalition for the Service Nation Summit in New York City on September 11th, the only event involving both Presidential candidates during the campaign. There, the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Bill, calling for the largest increase in service program since the Kennedy Administration, was introduced to great fanfare and enthusiasm. In the fall issue of WorldView, then Senator Obama pledged to meet the campaign’s goal of doubling the Peace Corps by the time of the 50th Anniversary and to work with NPCA in doing that. On Inauguration Day, NPCA and RPCV/W arranged for the Peace Corps community to march past the new President at the White House. On that bitterly cold day, we received a warm and enthusiastic response, including the recognition of one of our lead marchers, Senator Harris Wofford. Senator Wofford helped inspire this campaign to realize more of the promise of the Peace Corps envisioned by its founders. Now, we have a President and a First Lady (who is the former executive director of Public Allies in Chicago, an Americorps program) who are committed to service and understand the critical contributions that service can make to communities and countries. Within his first 100 days in office, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. While this legislation does not include the expansion of the Peace Corps, it underscores the President’s strong commitment to service. Since launching the campaign, NPCA successfully sparked a discussion of a bigger Peace Corps. This spring, more than 200 members of Congress or 40% of all members indicated their support for much more robust funding for the Peace Corps. A few years ago, we were lucky to have 10% of Congress do this. The President’s FY 2010 budget request was released recently. It calls for a 10% increase next year and sets the goal of 9,000 volunteers by 2012. While this is an important first step, it is short of the campaign’s goal. Building on the hard work supported by thousands of community members throughout the country, on July 9th the House of Representatives far exceeded the President’s request by appropriating $450 million for FY 2010. Although the full Senate has not acted, the Senate Appropriation’s Committee approved the President’s requested level of $373 million. We are working to have the Congress approve the House level, which would enable the President to put the Peace Corps on the paths towards achieving his commitment to expand and enhance the Peace Corps by the time of the 50th Anniversary. During the campaign’s first phase we pushed for a bigger Peace Corps and raised the issue of greater funding in the new Administration. It is now clear that there are some legislators (as well as community members) who are reluctant to provide significantly more resources for the Peace Corps until it has become more strategic and effective. A few influential legislators also want the Peace Corps to align more closely with U.S. national interests (despite the fact that there have been some unfortunate instances when this was tried and failed). Greater congressional support may require this. While continuing to push for more resources, we are beginning to plan a new phase of the campaign focusing on developing a few implementable ideas that would lead to a better and bolder Peace Corps. This phase would also push for more robust “Third Goal” or “bringing the world back home” efforts, Continued on page 6 WorldView 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WorldView Magazine - Summer 2009

WorldView Magazine - Summer 2009
Contents
More Peace Corps Campaign: Better and Bolder!
Africa Rural Connect
Readers Write
You Too Can Be Bill Gates
Taking Peace Corps Back into the Field
Come for the Information, Stay for the Dancing
A “Green” Community Rising
Microfinance Pioneer Receives 2009 Shriver Award
The Colombia Project
A Voice for the Unheard
Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Microfinance Podcasts
Selected Microfinance Resources
Bicycle! Bamenda! Orange!
Luck and Fame
A Step in the Right Direction
Bringing What She Loves
Letter from Botswana: First Tongues of the Kalahari
Letter from Tanzania: Homo Sapien in Africa
In the Beginning (There Was John)
The Peace Corps Community Making a Difference
Community News
Advertiser Index

WorldView Magazine - Summer 2009

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