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Letter from the Editor
Hello SDPCA Members!
Thanks to all who joined us for the annual meeting and celebration on Zoom! It was not the same as being together in person, but I think we are all getting used to virtual events. We were able to do our official SDPCA business, such as electing a new board, as well as have some fun with the traditional geo quiz.
I’d like to introduce your 2021/22 SDPCA Board Members:
Returning members Colleen Garrett (Cape Verde), Genny Lynkiewicz (Uzbekistan), Lynne Graham (India), Sarah Thorwirth (Guatemala), Sharon Kennedy (Thailand), Tina Hunter Burnam (Madagascar), Tina Silva (Tanzania and Peru), and Vic Cuevas (Lesotho). We’re happy to welcome three new members: Cindy Kim (N. Macedonia), Elizabeth Hall (Guatemala), and Zac Norbash (N. Macedonia).
The new board met this past weekend to start planning for the upcoming year. We planned some great events with hope that we will be able to gather in person more and more as the vaccine rolls out and cases subside. We truly look forward to seeing you in the coming year.
Stay well!
Sharon Kennedy, Thailand 1989-91
Newsletter Editor
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Presentation: La Jolla Sea Lions and Harbor Seals
Tuesday, May 12, 2021 at 6pm - TONIGHT!
Zoom
RSVP: http://evite.me/zpxW5gScvj
Gather your kids and join us for 3 short videos about the La Jolla sea lions and harbor seals! We're fortunate to have our very own Ellen Shively (RPCV Ethiopia) introduce the videos and lead a question and answer section. Ellen serves as a docent for the Sierra Club and is very active in protecting these animals. Please join us for this educational opportunity!
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 Book Club: Living Poor - A Peace Corps Chronicle
Wednesday, May 26 at 7pm
Zoom
RSVP: http://evite.me/X5MNqXzMHP
Join us to discuss Living Poor - A Peace Corps Chronicle by Moritz Thomsen.
June Book: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
July Book: Witnessing Gwangju by Paul Courtright (SDPCA member)
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International Support Fund
When Peace Corps Volunteers were evacuated due to the pandemic, some volunteers still had viable and ongoing projects being led by their capable host country counterparts. However, they lost access to the Peace Corps Partnerships funding since there wasn’t a PCV on site. The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) set up a fund to keep these projects going. Through this fund, the SDPCA donated to a "Clean Water for Schools and Communities in Southern Madagascar" coordinated by Gabriel Sandler, an RPCV evacuee. He sent us the following update:
It's been just over two months since we successfully and fully funded the construction of two rain harvesters in southern Madagascar, in collaboration with the National Peace Corps Association and Tatirano Social Enterprise. I'm emailing today to share our progress. As of now, one of the tanks is completely up and running!!!
Because the harvester is brand new, we don't have much data to share. For now, you can see information about our harvester's collection and distribution potential at this link: https://stats.tatirano.org/dashboard/systems/22
If you want to see what other harvesters in Tatirano's network are collecting and distributing, you can see a full system overview and view each individual system here: https://stats.tatirano.org/dashboard
This is a very exciting milestone and I can't wait to share more. Check out the photos below.
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Good News! 156 members of the House of Reps have signed on to a bi-partisan Peace Corps Dear Colleague Letter to support robust funding at $450 Million for FY 2022. Four out of our 5 Reps in San Diego signed on.
We are still waiting on the release of a budget proposal from the Biden Administration, but a similar letter will be circulating in the Senate soon. Both CA Senators are positioned to support robust funding. Senator Feinstein has been the co-author of this letter since 2012!
Thank Your US Representative!
Please email or call Rep. Mike Levin, Rep. Scott Peters, Rep. Juan Vargas and Rep. Sara Jacobs to thank them for their support and for signing on to this year’s Peace Corps Dear Colleague letter! Click on this link to be taken to an automated thank you email via the NPCA’s website.
You can also find your representative by clicking here.
Two Months of Advocacy – This year, the 60th anniversary year of Peace Corps, advocates held events across the nation throughout March and April. More events were held this year than in any other year!
In San Diego, we met with the offices of Rep. Darrell Issa (Dist. 50), Rep. Scott Peters (Dist. 52), Rep. Sara Jacobs (Dist. 53), Senator Padilla and Senator Feinstein. It was the first time there was a collaboration between all 7 NPCA affiliate Peace Corps Associations in CA to meet with Senate offices. This is the beauty of meeting virtually!
Photo: Meeting with Senator Padilla’s Office on 4/20/2021 – Members from 7 CA NPCA affiliate groups in CA attended including Danielle Choi, Advocacy Chair, of SDPCA.
Photo: Meeting with Senator Feinstein’s Office on 4/27/2021 - Members from 7 CA NPCA affiliate groups in CA attended including Danielle Choi, Advocacy Chair, of SDPCA.
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 SDPCA Membership Dues
To keep the San Diego Peace Corps Spirit strong, mark the 60th Anniversary of Peace Corps by renewing your membership (if you haven’t yet) or becoming a member for the first time. Honor our amazing community of proud returned volunteers and friends!
The annual SDPCA Membership is $20 per family. Newly COSed RPCVs (in the past year) are free. The membership fees help cover our modest operating costs and provide funds for our events.
There are two ways to renew:
1. Go to SDPCA.org/membership to renew on-line using our secure PayPal payment system. If you have issues with the payment system, send an email to Sharon at newseditor@SDPCA.org and she'll send you an invoice.
2. Mail a check for $20 to SDPCA PO Box 16362, San Diego, CA 92176. Please include a note with your country of service, dates served, and any updated contact information (email, phone, address).
Questions? Contact Tina Hunter Burnam at membershipinfo@SDPCA.org.
Artwork by SDPCA Board Member Alia Kroos
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