2023 – Page 24 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Sellwood, Oregon couple and volunteers spend Januarys helping in Africa

Apr 10 2023

By Elizabeth Ussher Groff “Small Steps to a Better World” is the motto of a Sellwood couple who travel to the African country of Ghana every year for three weeks in January. It is not a vacation – but they do arrive back refreshed and inspired by their work there. Upon returning this February, in a letter sent to their local donors, they wrote: “With four borrowed motorcycles and a work truck, five U.S. and many local volunteers were in action for an intensely productive three weeks in northern Ghana.” Lisa Revell, who also teaches a popular “Better Bones & Balance” exercise class at Woodstock’s Trinity United Methodist Church on the corner of S.E. Steele and Chavez Blvd (formerly 39th) – and her husband David Stone, a former Duniway music teacher, and now a PPS substitute teacher – have made their annual trek to Ghana nearly every January for all . . .

“And then Sarge said to me . . .” | Judy Guskin (Thailand)

Apr 08 2023

Judy Guskin (Thailand 1961-64) can rightly claim to be the “mother of the Peace Corps.” In the fall of 1960 she was a young married graduate student studying comparative literature at the University of Michigan when, with her husband, Alan, she heard John F. Kennedy speak on the steps of the Student Union and introduce the concept of a peace corps. Kennedy had arrived late at Ann Arbor that chilly October night and had not expected to speak, but a word-of-mouth rumor had spread around campus that he was spending the night at the University before campaigning in Michigan and over ten thousand students gathered around the Union building. Leaving his car and walking up the Union steps, Kennedy paused to say a few words to the students. It was late and cold and the crowd was edgy, having waited for him all night. Now, after 2 a.m. in . . .

Hello Alice | Elizabeth Gore (Bolivia)

Apr 08 2023

Elizabeth Gore (Bolivia 2003-05) serves as President and Chairwoman of the Board for Hello Alice, the first-ever artificial intelligence platform for business owners. Hello Alice helps all business owners find the right path to launch and grow. As a social enterprise, Alice is open to all entrepreneurs and prioritizes services for women, underrepresented founders and veterans. Elizabeth previously served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell Technologies, where she drove initiatives to support Dell’s goals around helping small and medium businesses scale and prosper, fueling the expansion of global entrepreneurship. Elizabeth personally advises the growth of purpose-driven companies, such as ride share commuting company Scoop, and is an investing Limited Partner with the Portfolia fund. In addition, Elizabeth is part owner in Gore Family Vineyards in Sonoma County. She is the Emeritus Chair of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council and previously served as the first-ever Entrepreneur in Residence for the . . .

CELEBRATE SIX DECADES IN THAILAND

Apr 07 2023

CELEBRATE SIX DECADES IN THAILAND By Khaosod English April 7, 2023 8:54 am On April 3, 2023, U.S. Ambassador Robert F. Godec and Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn swear-in 49 Peace Corps Trainees at Songphanburi Hotel, Suphanburi Province. In Thailand, Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) serve with their Thai counterparts in two sectors: Education, and Youth in Development. Volunteers live in local communities across the country, learn the Thai language, and share American culture with their communities during their two-year assignments. More than 5,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Thailand since 1962. The swearing-in ceremony is conducted in conjunction with the 60th anniversary celebration of Peace Corps Thailand (the 60th anniversary celebration was supposed to happen last year but is delayed due to the pandemic). With U.S. Ambassador Robert F. Godec, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn, Director-General Ureerat Charoentoh of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency, Royal Thai Government Officials, local . . .

Craig Sholley (Zaire) — African Wildlife Foundation

Apr 06 2023

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Tina Thuermer (Zaire 1973-75) Senior Vice President African Wildlife Foundation Craig’s experiences with wildlife and conservation began in 1973 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. As an L.S.B. Leakey grant researcher in the late 1970s, Craig studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey and, in 1987, became director of Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project, of which African Wildlife Foundation was a sponsor. Craig has acted as Scientific Advisor for the award-winning IMAX film, “Mountain Gorilla,” and with National Geographic, he surveyed the conservation status of mountain gorillas in the aftermath of Rwanda’s civil war. Craig’s direct involvement with AWF began as a Senior Associate and member of AWF’s Board of Trustees. He became a full-time employee of AWF in 2001 and now serves as Senior Vice President.

Tracking Down PCVs Trained at UH Hilo

Apr 06 2023

UH Hilo political scientist Su-Mi Lee compiles biographies from Peace Corp volunteers with ties to Hawai‘i Island Posted on April 5, 2023 by Staff The project is significant to UH Hilo because Hawai‘i Island was chosen as a primary training location for thousands of Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s and the university’s precursor—UH-Hilo Branch—contributed greatly to the training program. A local group involved in promoting acknowledgement of returned Peace Corps volunteers to Hawai‘i Island stand for a group photo at a plaque erected on the UH Hilo campus to commemorate John F. Kennedy who began the Peace Corps program. In the group are Hawai‘i County Mayor Mitch Roth (center) with Assistant Professor of Political Science Su-Mi Lee (fifth from left), returned Peace Corps volunteers, Rotary club members, a librarian from UH Hilo’s Mookini Library, and students including Lee’s student assistant Nikki Jicha (fourth from left). (Courtesy photo) By Susan Enright A political . . .

A Conversation with Jody Olsen, Former Peace Corps Director

Apr 05 2023

Women’s Economic Empowerment and the Peace Corps – A Conversation with Jody Olsen, Former Peace Corps Director Interviewed Held on March 8, 2019 Edited for this blog Dr. Olsen served as a volunteer in Tunisia in the late 1960s, and she held various leadership positions throughout the agency in the ’80s, the ’90s, and 2000s. And between that time she spent time as a visiting professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work, as well as the director of the university’s Global Education Initiatives. The moderator is CSIS Senior Associate Nina Easton chair of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International Summit and the co-chair of the Fortune Global Forum. Nina Easton: OK, hands up: How many former Peace Corps volunteers do we have here? Ooh. (Cheers, applause.) OK. (Applause.) And, Jody, thank you for your service. Jody Olsen: Well, thank you. Nina Easton: I warned you that we . . .

African artist’s work benefits Sierra Leone

Apr 04 2023

African artist’s work benefits Sierra Leone The story of Africa Yes is really the story of the remarkable village of Gbeworbu (BEH-wuh-boo), which hosted Peace Corps Volunteer Steve Cameron from 1989 to 1991. The partnership that resulted has withstood the intervention of a brutal civil war and thirteen years of separation. The villagers continue to demonstrate their resilience, determination, and work ethic as they rebuild and move forward. The first project that grew out of the partnership between Steve and his hosts was a Village Health Worker program to provide low-cost basic medicines and medical advice from the book Where There is No Doctor. This was begun at the request of the villagers themselves — Steve’s primary project was outside the village, supervising a water project in a nearby town. Other villages heard about the program and asked to participate. Eventually, there were 14 villages in the area with Village Health . . .

The Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation | Gail Nystrum (Costa Rica)

Apr 03 2023

The Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation Celebrates 25 Years: Founder Gail Nystrom Shares Her Journey By Bruce Callow April 2, 2023 The Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation has been a fixture in this country since 1997`and has made a positive difference in the lives of countless families. This legacy of good work is due to the tireless efforts of its founding director Gail Nystrom and teams of volunteers from Costa Rica and around the world. This legacy of hope will be celebrated on May 7 at a Gala event marking the 25th anniversary of the foundation. More details about this event follow. I recently had a chance to chat with Gail about her life and experience in Costa Rica. Please tell us a bit about your background growing up and what brought you to Costa Rica? I was born in New York State and spent my early years between New . . .

A bike trip to Massawa, Eritrea and the Red Sea

Apr 02 2023

My first trip to Massawa was on a bike by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962–1964) In January of 1963, my group of PCVs to the Empire, some 280 + of us, assembled for a conference in Asmara. On the Friday between workshops, four of us: Tim Bodman, Charlie Michener, Ernie Fox, and myself — all Ethie Ones — decided to rent bikes for the 70-mile trip from Asmara down the mountains, across the Danakil Desert, and to the shores of the Red Sea. None of us was stationed in Eritrea, so did we know the way to Massawa. We just knew it was downhill from Asmara, at an elevation of 7,628 ft., to the sea. Starting before sunrise we pedaled five miles to the edge of the mountains. At that level, we were above the billows of white and gray clouds that lay perfectly still, enclosed the valleys below and encased the rugged . . .

The Volunteer who became a nationally known film director and producer — Taylor Hackford (Bolivia)

Mar 31 2023

Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) • After graduating from the University of Southern California, Taylor Hackford served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia from 1968 to 1969. While in Bolivia, he started using a Super 8 movie camera in his spare time — a camera purchased for him by a fellow Volunteer. After his volunteer days, Taylor decided that he did not want to pursue a career in law as he had earlier considered, and instead found a mailroom job at KCET, a public TV station in Los Angeles, where, in 1970, he became an associate producer on the Leon Russell special “Homeword.” Then, In 1973, again at KCET, he produced a one-hour special “Bukowski” about the poet Charles Bukowski. Although he had never gone to film school, Taylor went on to be director of 15 major films, producer of 13 others, and the executive producer of 7 more. He was director . . .

Sherry Morris (Ukraine) — Short story and Flash Fiction Writer

Mar 31 2023

Based in the Scottish Highlands Sherry Morris is from a small town in Missouri, but hasn’t let that stop her. She spent the summer of her 18th birthday traveling up the coast of France with a circus and after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a teaching degree, joined the Peace Corps. She served two years in Ukraine (1993-95) and spent a further year in Poland before moving to London in 2000. In February 2017 she moved to a farm in the Scottish Highlands where she lives happily ever after. Her work has appeared online with Horror Scribes and Gemini magazine, in print with Molotov Cocktail and the Bath Flash anthology To Carry Her Home. It has also been performed with Liars’ League London and The Space theatre in east London. A story she wrote about her Peace Corps experience — “Soul Mates” appears in A Small Key Opens Big Doors: Vol 3 — The Heart of Eurasia. She . . .

Bill Owens : 50th Anniversary Suburbia Collection (Jamaica)

Mar 31 2023

True North Editions : Bill Owens : 50th Anniversary Suburbia Collection “This is our second annual Fourth of July block party. This year thirty-three families came for beer, barbequed chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, green salad, macaroni salad, and watermelon. After eating and drinking we staged our parade and fireworks.” © Bill Owens – Courtesy True North Editions / Scott Nichols Gallery Suburbia by Bill Owens (Jamaica 1964-66): this book marked the history of photography! It is fifty years old and a portfolio including 30 of his images has just been republished. Bill Owens and True North Editions celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the seminal book, Suburbia with this limited edition portfolio, Bill Owens — 50th Anniversary Suburbia Collection. The portfolio was created with the intent of placement in institutional collections, and is available through Scott Nichols Gallery. This portfolio is comprised of 36 remastered photographs from Suburbia, selected for . . .

Colin Rule Receives D’Alemberte-Raven Award (Eritrea)

Mar 30 2023

Colin Rule Receives D’Alemberte-Raven Award from ABA Dispute Resolution Section! By JIM MELAMED March 27, 2023 Colin Rule (Eritrea 1995-97), CEO of Mediate.com and ODR.com, has been announced as the 2023 recipient of the D’Alemberte/Raven Award from the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section. Colin will be recognized at the May 11th Award Ceremony at the 25th annual ABA DR Spring Conference in Las Vegas. This D’Alemberte Raven Award award honors Talbot D’Alemberte and Robert D. Raven, who each held the unique position of being both ABA Presidents and Chairs of either the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution or its predecessor ABA Special Committee. Resourceful Internet Solutions, Inc., and Mediate.com were founded in 1995 by John Helie and Jim Melamed. Jim Melamed served as CEO of Mediate.com for 25 years until Colin succeeded Jim as CEO in June 2020. Rule returned to Mediate.com where he served as the company’s first General Manager in 1999! Rule spun . . .

Mating by Norm Rush Peace Corps Co-Director (Botswana)

Mar 29 2023

Is True Love Possible? Readers Are Turning to This 1990s Novel for Answers. March 29, 2023 in News Katherine Champagne had never heard of “Mating,” the award-winning novel by Norman Rush, until one afternoon in 2020, when she popped into a random room on Clubhouse in the early days of that social media app. “It was me and a group of true strangers talking about books we liked,” said Ms. Champagne, 35, who lives in Queens and works at a start-up. A woman recommended the novel without giving anyone in the chat room much to go on. “She was just straight up like, ‘This is the best book I’ve ever read,’” Ms. Champagne recalled. César Acevedo, a bartender in Brooklyn, bought “Mating” within 24 hours of seeing a tweet posted in December by John Phipps, the fiction editor of the literary magazine The Fence. In the tweet, Mr. Phipps said he was . . .

Archive - 2023