Dinner in DC —Were You Invited?

Last night in D.C. Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, and Charlotte Kea from her office, and other RPCVs, including former Senator Christopher Dodd, were hosted by Boston University’s Scott Nichols, another RPCV so that the group could discuss raising funds to increase the number of PCVs overseas. The money raised, I presume, will be to lobby Congress to increase the Peace Corps budget. Nichols, I understand, is planning to hold a series of such dinners around the country before Carrie leaves her post at the end of the Obama administration. His aim is to make Peace Corps alumni, as he calls them, a more effective force for increasing the size of and funding for Peace Corps. As Carrie told her dinner partners, “many qualified applicants are turned away and several countries asking for volunteers cannot be accommodated because of lack of funds.” Some guests wrote checks on the spot. There were also complaints about the NPCA with some RPCVs saying the NPCA was not doing enough to increase funding for the Peace Corps (which is ridiculous). Some also questioned the decision to no longer require NPCA dues.

This is not a complete list. Some 20 people attended. Here is who I know attended. (I wasn’t invited.)

Virginia “Ginny” Pearsall Kirkwood
Turkey 1964-66 and Thailand 1990-93

Christopher J. Dodd
Dominican Republic 1966-68

Gordon L. Radley
Malawi 1968-70

Theodore “Ted” Celeste
Fiji 1969-70

Martin R. Ganzglass
Somalia 1966-68

Karen E. Dewitt
Ethiopia 1966-68

Ira L. Tannenbaum
Tunisia 1962-64

Arthur M. Over
Burkina Faso 1967-69

Billy Delancey
Vanuatu 2009-11

Barbara E. Joe
Honduras 2000-03

Don Daekin
Kenya 1965-67

Kae Daekin
Kenya 1965-67