John F. Kennedy originated the Peace Corps to share with the world the good that is America.
Peace Corps volunteers are our best ambassadors - with all of our wealth and in spite of our might; we, as a people, can still be the beacon to the world.
What is the Peace Corps?
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.
Since that time, more than 187,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation.
Today's Peace Corps is more vital than ever, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.
Mission:
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship.
The Peace Corps' mission has three simple goals:
- Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
My daughter has been serving in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer since the spring of 2005. She writes often and there are the inevitable ups and downs of being half way around the world in a culture so different from our own. A few months ago she sent an e-mail saying that she was writing a grant and would extend her service if the grant was approved. Last week we spoke on the phone and while the grant was well received, it was not approved due to some time concerns. She had the option to rewrite the timetable of the project and submit it again. She would talk to the engineers to see if shortening the timeframe was feasible.
So anyway, today I received an e-mail from her and it was great news - her revision was approved. Now it has to be funded - and that's why I'm writing this entry - to ask you to consider making a donation to the project. It doesn't have to be a lot, any amount is appreciated (of course if one person wants to contribute the entire amount - that would be fine too ;)
If we can collectively donate millions of dollars to political candidates, what's several thousand dollars to renovate and expand a school? Pocket change! As a matter of fact - pocket change is accepted too.
Feel free to distribute the information below to your friends and family - it is appreciated. There's only a two month window to raise the funds. If the goal for this project isn't met, the funds will be dispensed to another Peace Corps project.
Thank you,
H. Richmond's father.
Project title: Reading Center Renovation and Enhancement Project
Location: PHILIPPINES
Volunteer Coordinator: H. Richmond of PA
Click here to contribute to this project!
Funds Needed: $7,051.00 (see it's really not that much!)
Original Request: $7,051.00
Project Number: 492-219
Community Contribution: $5,578.00 (44%)
Abstract:
The Development Center Enhancement Project will renovate the original reading center and expand the barangay’s vision of the center to reach a larger population across several sectors. The mission of the project and the enhanced center is to provide a venue for the perpetual development of the individuals, organizations and the community as a whole in various social, economic and educational sectors through training, provision of library resources and other educational services, providing socialization grounds and creating a support system.
An Information Resource Center (IRC) Management Training will be given to selected community members in order to build the barangay’s capacity in handling the many aspects that a resource center requires. These aspects include leadership, management, maintenance, organization systems, establishing collections and donations and creating an action plan for services and outreach. All of the resources, both tangible (raw materials, book donations, fixtures, etc) and intangible (labor, resource persons, training venue, etc) will be sought out from local sources to complete the project.
To rejoice in the completion of the project, the parties involved will hold a ceremonial open house for the community members to celebrate the community’s newest asset. It is the hope of the barangay and USPF, that the Development Center will become a community tool for information, knowledge, and skills exchange and generation, enhancing the greatest asset of any community, its people.
These project summaries are written by Peace Corps volunteers and their host communities.
Contribute online or contact us to find out how you can help.
Postal Mail:
Peace Corps
OPSI
Partnership Program
1111 20th St. NW
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20526
Telephone:
800.424.8580 ext. 2170
202.692.2170
Mon-Fri, 8 AM-5 PM EST
Facsimile:
202.692.2171
Email:
- For project and fund inquiries, comments or suggestions
pcpp@peacecorps.gov
- For questions about matching gifts
matchinggifts@peacecorps.gov
All donations are tax deductible and 100% of your contribution goes to the project you select. Your donation may be eligible for a Matching Gift. (I'm working on that here, but you can help if you and your employer are willing to go that extra mile - see Matching Gifts)