|
|
|
|
 Dear SDPCA and friends,
This is our time to stand up for Peace Corps! President Trump’s “skinny” budget proposal requested drastic cuts of 31% to the International Affairs budget. While funding for the Peace Corps is not specifically referenced, it could face disproportionate cuts when the full budget is released later this spring.
I hope you got the message from us on March 21 to contact Congress about signing the Peace Corps Funding Dear Colleague letter, co-written by two currently serving Congressmen who are RPCVs, John Garamendi and Joe Kennedy. Thanks to your hard work, the letter got a record number of 175 cosigners. The document is a strong, bipartisan show of support for the Peace Corps from our friends on Capitol Hill.
But there’s still more to do!
- Thank your Congressperson for their support (Susan Davis, Scott Peters, and Juan Vargas all signed!)
- Call Congress to urge support for International Affairs and Peace Corps utilizing NPCA’s click-to-call campaign and provided suggested script.
- Check out http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/cpages/protectpeacecorps where you can find all the information you will need for the above referenced action items, as well as other ways to support. #ProtectPeaceCorps
Heather Ginsky
SDPCA President
Peru (2010-11)
|
|
 Greek Dinner and Belly Dancing
Friday, April 7 at 5:30pm
Zorba's Greek Cuisine
100 Broadway, Chula Vista, 91910
$26 per person. Please prepay by Tuesday, April 4.
Join us for a fun evening of delicious food and fun entertainment at Zorba's Greek Cuisine! $26 per person for a dinner buffet, refillable non-alcoholic drink, tax, and tip. Dancers usually accept cash tips so come prepared with small bills if you feel inclined to tip the dancers
Prepayment required by April 4th to reserve your spot (so we can let the restaurant know the number of guests). Click here to pay using our secure PayPal check out (PayPal not required).
Belly dance comes from the "beledy" dances of the Middle East where beledy means "from the country". It has always been a form of improvisational dancing that was celebrated at events such as weddings but eventually moved into nightclubs and theaters as entertainment. Belly dance has long been associated with religious and sensual elements as well as part of fertility rituals. Some of these rituals are still used today in parts of the Near and Middle East as well as Africa. Since belly dance works abdominal muscles and elongates the spine, it can be used as a birthing tool, making for a smoother and easier birth. Belly dance as it's known to many now is simply a form of entertainment but its roots are steeped in tradition and it continues to be at its core an improvisational dance with many different styles.
|
|
|
 Ronald McDonald House Meal Prep
Thursday, April 19 from 4 to 8:30pm
2929 Children's Way, San Diego, CA 92123
Prepare and serve dinner to the families staying at Ronald McDonald House while their children are receiving care at Children's Hospital. Meal prep starts at 4pm and dinner is served from 6 to 7:30pm, then we'll clean up. Space is limited to 16 adults (children over age 16 allowed).
RSVP here.
|
|
 Peace Corps Booth at the Earth Fair!
Sunday, April 23, 2017 at Balboa Park
Sign up for a 2 hour shift!
SDPCA will have a booth again on Earth Day near the International Cottages and we need your help! Share your experiences with fair attendees and potential PCVs, hang out with old and new SDPCA friends, and maybe even enjoy a picnic lunch! We are looking for volunteers for two-hour shifts, starting at 9am. Bring water and some sunscreen as it can get hot. Parking is extremely difficult so please plan accordingly.
If you would like to volunteer for a shift, complete this form or contact Victor Cuevas: animeon@gmail.com.
|
|
 Peace Potluck and Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 6th from 11am to 2pm
Elizabeth's Ranch in Santee
Please join us for a Peace Potluck and Annual Meeting at a beautiful ranch of one of our members. Bring a salad or appetizer to share and SDPCA will provide the drinks and dessert. We'll have games, music, and a very brief meeting. Children are welcome. Please bring a chair.
This is our Annual Meeting and we will be adding new members to our board. Let us know if you are interested in joining the board!
RSVP: http://evite.me/zsBptJHyRb
|
|
|
Save the Date! Ethnic dinner in North County Coastal! Tuesday, May 16.
|
|
|
Memorial Plaque Delivered to Lesotho
In Fall 2015, SDPCA’s long-time board member and treasurer, Gregg Pancoast (RPCV Costa Rica), passed away unexpectedly. About the same time, SDPCA received a request for financial support from PCV-Lesotho, Catie Wheat, whose project was to build pit latrines at Lesotho’s Lepholisa Primary School.
Gregg’s favorite projects to support? Latrines. Resounding approval was given by the SDPCA Board and members to give generous support from our International Support Fund (ISF) to Catie’s project. Throughout the project Catie, who is from San Diego, provided updates including delays for one reason and another (no doubt that sounds familiar to many RPCVs).
Moving forward to Fall 2016, Karen Lindquist, RPCV-Romania and Lesotho, announced that she’d be returning to Lesotho in February 2017 and offered to visit Lepholisa. A handsome bronze memorial plaque was created and Karen and Catie delivered it to the school (with photos of Gregg) and were greeted enthusiastically by the school principal, teachers and students on a rainy day at the end of a mud-filled pathway to the hilltop school.
Going from one tipsy-falling over pit latrine to a solidly built set of eighteen concrete block pit latrines (10 for girls, 8 for boys) is a tremendous addition to this rural school in Lesotho. We know that Gregg will be smiling upon Lepholisa Primary School’s staff and students for many, many years to come.
|
|
|
 Recipe of the Month: Curry Garbanzo Beans
Award Winning dish at Taste the World!
Submitted by Elizabeth and Lennox Miller
- 1 tin garbanzo beans
- 1small onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs cilantro
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt
Directions
- Open and drain garbanzo beans and save the water
- Mince onion, garlic. and cilantro
- Heat oil in heavy bottom pot
- Add curry powder and stir
- Add beans and continue to stir
- Add minced onion, garlic, and cilantro
- Continue stirring and add saved water.
- Add salt to taste with a little extra water as needed
|
|
|
Taste the World - March 4. Thank you to everyone who attended the First Annual Taste the World Fundraiser and helped to make it a success! Click here to see more photos from the evening.
|
|
|
Story Telling Workshop - March 9.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
