... in my life before this group. What I did learn was how to focus others on a goal and how to achieve that goal to bet
Greater Birmingham Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
V o l um e 1 5 , I s s ue 2 J u ly 201 3 -De c 201 3
G BR PCV N EWSLETTER GBRPCVS AIDED PEACE CORPS RECRUITING IN 2013 Mission In the spirit of our Peace Corps experience, Greater Birmingham RPCVs promotes a continuing commitment to our community. Goals
To develop a social and community
action network
To remind ourselves and educate others about why we served To provide support for potential, current and recently returned Peace Corps volunteers To promote public awareness and support for the Peace Corps
More letters and pictures from Camp MAKE in Ukraine on pg 4
The Greater Birmingham Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (GBRPCVs) made recruiting a major activity in 2013 and we are already scheduling dates with the Atlanta office for their 2014 campus visits. Our annual Bon Voyage party April 24th at Cantina had a great turnout. An article and pictures were in the June newsletter available on our web page. It’s always so much fun to engage people at various stages through the Peace Corps application progression. From the hesitant applicants to the nervous nominees to the excited invitees, they all usually have one thing in common: anxious parents. We put a face to a process and reassure people that if we made it through PC, others can too. August 14th, members helped present a program at the Honors House. Lisa Murray (Kazakhstan) flew down from Vermont to speak about her experience. The Honor’s House has been a preferred venue as we hosted another enlightening event there in September with Andrea Kayne (Paraguay) and Princess Nash (Guiana) serving on a Q&A panel. Susan Spezzini (Paraguay) and Penny Whiteside also spoke about the UAB Peace Corps Fellows Programs. As we all learned in PC, food is a must for any successful meeting and we are ever so grateful to the Sparkman Center for funding the eats. November 12, Dan Frederick (Thailand) represented Peace Corps at the Birmingham Southern college Global Opportunities Interest Fair. At the brilliant suggestion of our Social chair, Adam Johnston (Vanuatu) , the GBRPCV had a table at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in October. Our lovely Treasurer, Laurel Hitchcock (Senegal) and Robert Sullivan (Bulgaria) represented our interests in continued community involvement and the environment. Laurel assured us the event was scenic but not as wild as her days as a PCV. Karmie Johnson (Samoa) ordered a banner for our group so that we will be more visible at these events in the future. It had its first outing at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival organized by Alabama Rivers Alliance. We will again be representing Peace Corps at the UAB Civic Engagement Career Fair on January 14 and at a Peace Corps week program February 26th.
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G B R P C V N e w sle tte r
RECENT ACTIVITIES Holiday Dinner at Taj India 20 RPCVs plus spouses and friends gathered on Dec 12 to share stories and celebrate the holidays at Taj India .
OFFICERS
CHAIRS
NEWSLETTER
President
Karmie Johnson 205-531-0847
[email protected]
Program Committee Chair and Board Member at Large
Sue Seay
[email protected]
Vice President
Brad Hodges 205-799-4278
[email protected]
Social Chair
Adam Johnston
[email protected] Membership Services Chair
Secretary
Laurel Hitchcock
Kathy Angus
[email protected]
205-987-7976
[email protected]
Communications Chair
Treasurer
[email protected]
Laurel Hitchcock
[email protected]
Dan Frederick
Layout Editor Chief Article Solicitor Kathy Angus
[email protected]
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READJUSTMENT STORIES
Jared Schnader (Ukraine 2004-2006) – I doubt my experience is any different from other RPCV experiences. But I hope this is able to help in some way if any of you are having the same problem I experienced. After COS I came back to the US excited, energized, uncomfortable and lost. While a PCV, I had a purpose and goals, however, my life back in America did not have that same direction. I did some volunteer work with the some non-profits, but did not find it rewarding. I had spent two years of my life serving others, but in the US I felt my experience was wasted on everyone but me. I had a pent up desire to do more than just “work”. I wanted to “serve”. In February of 2013, I began co-leading an outreach group through my church the first Saturday of every month. We focused on landscaping, external repairs, and any other work we can do for people that have an immediate need. At first blush this may just seem like a “nice thing to do”, but to a person that is elderly, disabled, or physically unable to perform this work it can be transformative. We have been running this organization for 10 months, and have made a direct impact on over 10 families in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. We have grown from 6 volunteers to over 20. Our last service projects were on December 7, 2013. We hung a door for a blind lady that did not have a door on her house. We also fixed a roof that day. The young lady had no money, a child with special needs, and was sleeping on the floor of this “house”. The roof had holes in it; literal holes. In the richest nation in the world, we are doing what we can to improve the lives of those our society has either left behind, not accepted, or never given a chance. How do I complete my RPCV goals? I tell others about my service by serving the people of my country, just as I served those in my host country. What my Peace Corps service trained me to do was not landscaping or maintenance. In fact, I had never done any landscaping work in my life before this group. What I did learn was how to focus others on a goal and how to achieve that goal to better the world around me. This is how I honor the opportunity my country gave me. They paid me to help others abroad, and I now am able to help those in my own country with the skills I developed overseas. If anyone would like to help us on first Saturdays, we take in all volunteers. You do not have to be a member of our church or good at landscape, yard work, maintenance, etc. The only requirement is you must want to help others. Please contact me if you are ever interested in getting more involved:
[email protected]. Here is a before and after pictures of roof repair and of landscaping done recently at Chandler Nursing Home in Alabaster.
CALENDAR SALES CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE CORPS PROJECTS
Our profits from the sales of the International Calendars produced by the Madison, Wisconsin rpcv group are used for our group’s contributions to worthy, primarily international projects. This year we made contributions to a Stop Hunger Now food project in the Philippines where Birmingham pcv Karen Smaha was working. Now home, she said the food packages became especially important after the earthquake and then again when the typhoon hit the Philippines. We also made a monetary donation through Peace Corps Partnership after the typhoon. We also contributed to Camp GLOW a PCP project in Nicaragua organized by 3 Alabama pcvs. More details can be found on our GBRPCV facebook page. It is easy to donate through Peace Corps to support Peace Corps Partnership Projects. You can find projects in your own host countries or find one in an area of your own concern: health, education, environment, etc. To contribute, go to http://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate The National Peace Corps Association also received a donation from GBRPCVs to enhance its mentoring program, data base, and stories project.
G B R P C V N e w s l e tte r
w w w . g br pc v . o r g
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For the 2nd year in a row we contributed to Camp MAKE, a summer English camp in Ukraine organized by 2 Alabama pcvs: Will Granger and Hayley Caldwell. The students sent their thanks. Here are a few of their letters and pictures.
EDITORIAL POLICY The GBRPCV Newsletter is the official, semi-annual publication of the Greater Birmingham Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, which publishes articles and information on the group’s activities and upcoming events. Our goal is to publish interesting and useful content, as well as to encourage and assist Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in carrying out the third goal of the Peace Corps: “To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people.” The newsletter will be posted online at www.gbrpcv.org at the time of publication. To receive paper copies, please send your name and address to the editor. The GBRPCV Newsletter invites Peace Corps-related articles, information, feedback and ideas for articles. If you are interested in contributing to the next issue of the GBRPCV Newsletter, please submit material by e-mail to
[email protected] and include your country and dates of service. Although we are only able to respond to submissions that we publish, all are read and considered. We reserve the right to choose or reject submissions based solely on our editorial judgment.
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V o l um e 1 5 , I s s ue 2
Winter Greetings from the Office of the President! The GBRPCVs have been busy! In April we had a successful Map Project at Adamsville Elementary. We all enjoyed interacting with the students and teaching them about geography. In particular, I was highly entertained at the young man who wanted to paint Ukraine because he watched a disaster movie on Chernobyl. His face when we introduced him to Sam Ryals was priceless. I may or may not have told him that Sam glows in the dark after living in the Ukraine for 27 months. We had several great recruitment events during the year as described on page 1. In addition, in August the Angus’ hosted their annual lake party in which we got together to eat good food and share good stories. As the calendar year closes we had our annual holiday dinner at Taj India. Adam Johnston (Vanuatu) coordinated the event and it was a rousing success with 23 RPCVs in attendance. I’d like to send a special thanks to Craig Wilson (Samoa) , Director of the Sparkman Center for Global Health and an RPCV from the best PC country as voted by the GBRPCV group (Samoa topped the list with three votes). His continued collaboration with our group, from funding events and buying calendars to his presence in our little community, serves as a model of RPCV involvement. He’s not just a friend to the GBRPCVs, he is an RPCV and an excellent example of the third goal of Peace Corps: Helping Americans understand the people and cultures of other countries. Fa'afetai tele lava mo le fesoasoani ma le tapua'i, lau susuga. I’d also like to take the time to thank my fellow officers. Kathy Angus (Brasil, Botswana) has been keeping me on task for over 15 years. She’s an incomparable resource for all things GBRPCV and I could not, and would not, attempt this position without her. Laurel Hitchcock (Senegal) is the yen to my yang. She’s organized and considerate with thoughtful energy and enthusiasm. Working with her, I feel there’s no project we can’t tackle. Adam Johnston has taken the position of Social chair to the next level and I can’t wait to see what great events he’s going to come up with in 2014. Dan Frederick (Thailand) is a PR master and is always drumming up support for our events and group. Sue Seay (Antigua) in her role as Board Member helps us locate schools for our map project and is as involved as her schedule allows considering she has a new granddaughter. Working and interacting with all our group members, I’m reminded of the camaraderie and support I shared with my fellow PCVs all those years ago. Passionate, caring and concerned individuals coming together to support each other and their communities is what has made Peace Corps such a special organization. Thanks to all of you for continuing this tradition! Our next event is in conjunction with Peace Corps week. Hope to see many and most of you at the Map Project (February 15th for the outlining, February 22nd for the actual event). Again, Happy Holidays! Karmie M. Johnson
To join or to renew your membership in GBRPCV or NPCA, you may do so online: www.peacecorpsconnect.org If you want to join GBRPCV only, send in the membership form from our website www.gbrpcv.org along with your check to GBRPCVs, P.O. Box 55622, Birmingham, AL 35255.
NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION
Next Step Travel-Given the success of trips to Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, the National Peace Corps Association is now offering trips to Thailand in 2014. NPCA's Travel program provides hyper-local immersion in developing countries: itineraries that combine unparalleled local access and hands-on volunteer opportunities that open pathways for connection with local people. http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/resources/nextstep-travel/ The School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute recognizes outstanding NPCA members to receive a $10,000 scholarship. The SIT Graduate Institute features programs in International Education, Peace building and Conflict Transformation, Sustainable Development, etc. The deadline to apply to the SIT Graduate Institute is February 24, 2014 and scholarships are still available. Visit the SIT Graduate Institute Admissions website
UPCOMING EVENTS Watch for emails for more information Feb 15- outlining for map painting at West Jefferson Elementary School Feb 22– painting map with students Feb 26– recruiting event at UAB April– Bon Voyage Party
Peace Corps Response provides opportunities for returned Peace Corps Volunteers to undertake short-term, high impact assignments in various programs around the world. See http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=response There are currently over 40 listings. RPCV Career link posts job and scholarship lists for rpcvs http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/returned/careerlink/jobs/ NPCA Connect will be in Nashville June 20-21. Make plans to attend. Help in planning or register at http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/annual-gathering/nashville-2014/
