Black Lives Matter

The San Diego Peace Corps Association stands with the Black community and people of color in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and so many other victims of racial injustice. 

As Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who dedicated years of our lives with dreams of making the world a better place, we recognize that it has long been time to turn inward to make our own country a more just place for everyone. The fight for equity and justice goes beyond our international service and is completely in sync with the Peace Corps’ mission to promote world peace, understanding, and friendship.

We stand with those calling for change at every level to confront racist structures and institutions, hold our police accountable, and ensure that all people of color in our communities can live safely and thrive. As we strive to learn, take tangible action, and commit to being antiracist, we can all do our part to challenge the status quo of racism at the institutional, structural, interpersonal, and individual levels. 

Please also read the National Peace Corps Association Stand against Racial Injustice.  

Letter from the (Vice) President

Greetings SDPCA Members,

Happy July! For those of you who don’t know me, I am Danielle Choi, VP and Advocacy Chair stepping in temporarily for our President, Ashley, while she takes a break to be a new mom. A little about me…I served as a volunteer in Morocco from 2004-2006 where I went in as a Natural Resource & Environment volunteer and came out an ESL Teacher and advocate for adult literacy. As a transplant to San Diego, one of the first groups I gravitated towards was the San Diego Peace Corps Association and they welcomed me with open arms. It has been a pleasure to meet so many wonderful people in the RPCV community here in San Diego. 

This is the time of year when we acknowledge the service of Board members that are leaving us and welcome new Board members that have volunteered to join us! This year, we would like to thank two very talented, dedicated and hard-working women for serving on our Board. They both served in several different capacities during their tenure. In addition, they both gave numerous hours of their time and expertise to build the capacity of the SDPCA. Thank you Heather Ginsky (8 years) and Celeste Peacock Coleman (10 years) for your service! You are going to be missed dearly!!! 

Now we get to think about new Board members! Since we were not able to hold our Annual Meeting this year, we ask that you please take a minute to look at our Board of Director Nominees and vote virtually before July 15th so that we have membership approval to move forward with an elected Board. We will formally announce our new Board in August.  

So what exactly has the Board been up to? We continue to meet monthly (virtually, of course) and we recently had our Annual Planning Session. We are excited to continue thinking of new and creative ways to keep membership and friends of SDPCA engaged through educational events, community service, advocacy, outdoor and social activities that bring the RPCV community together. This past month we had a fascinating presentation by Judy Minnich Stout comparing her experiences between being a Peace Corps Volunteer in China to her recent Church of the Brethen volunteer experience in Nigeria. We were also given an invigorating virtual belly dancing class by Tina Silva. In addition, Sharon Kennedy has started to host a virtual monthly book club that will be taking place the last Wednesday of each month. Thank you to Judy, Tina and Sharon for keeping our mind, body and soul engaged and for bringing us together! Moving into July, we have several more exciting events to look forward to. Keep reading for more details and if you have a great idea for an event, reach out to us!

In peace and solidarity,

Danielle Choi

Cooking for Rachel’s Women’s Shelter 
Sunday, July 12
Revised 2020 Plan for Preparation and Delivery
RSVP and More Information 

Our 7th annual Rachel's Women's Shelter event is just around the corner. This year some things remain the same, others must change in accordance with safe practices in this time of COVID19.  Once again we'll be providing dinner for 35-40 women. Our previous group cooking and serving doesn't, however, fit into current health and safety guidelines. Rachel's women are now receiving group donations curbside and are doing their own meal serving!

For 2020, we invite volunteers to create a dish in their own kitchen and bring it to the home of Karen Lindquist for delivery to Rachel's. Our menu will be a buffet of “Cool Summer Salads” and “Refreshing Desserts”.

Click here to learn how you, if interested, can lend a helping hand for this not-so-traditional 2020 Rachel's dinner. While we'll miss the usual camaraderie of cooking and serving together, we look forward to continuing this annual SDPCA community service activity.

Photo from a previous (pre-COVID) Rachel's house event.

SDPCA Virtual Book Club 
Wednesday, July 29 at 7pm 
Zoom
RSVP: http://evite.me/n6JRHbDPx8 

Join us for a lively and thoughtful discussion about this month’s book: A Breeze In Bulgaria by Bruce McDonald. 

Apologies that this book is only accessible (and affordable) in the e-reader format.
 
Please be sure to read the book prior to the meeting.  

VOTE FOR THE SDPCA 2020/2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

As a member of the SDPCA, we invite you to respond to a virtual ballot to formally vote on and accept the SDPCA Board of Directors for 2020/2021. This vote will replace our in-person vote by show of hands that normally occurs during our Annual Peace Picnic (aka SDPCA Annual Meeting). Due to COVID-19, we were unable to meet in person for our annual meeting. This vote is entirely voluntary and will remain anonymous.

Please place your vote prior to July 15th. Thank you!

Board Nominees:

• Ashley Smallwood - President 
• Danielle Choi - Vice President/Advocacy Chair
• Colleen Patricia Garrett - Secretary 
• Genny Lynkiewicz - Chief Financial Officer
• Lynne Graham - Fundraising Co-Chair
• Alia Kroos -Fundraising Co-Chair
• Sharon Kennedy - Website Administrator & Newsletter Editor
• Tina Silva - Communications & Social Media Manager
• Victor Cuevas - Logistics Coordinator
• *Tina Hunter Burnam - Membership Manager
• *Brittany Beisner - International Support Fund (ISF) Coordinator
• *Sarah Thorwirth - Member at Large 

*New and/or returning to Board

 Please Vote Here by July 15:  https://forms.gle/TZ8zcyG8s8NswJ218.

From Peace Corps China to Volunteering in Nigeria. June 9, 2020