News on Peace Corps Park in DC from Glenn A. Blumhorst (Guatemala)
Looking forward to it! Everyone and anyone should feel free to join us.
–Glenn Blumhorst Writes
This month, we are excited to share a few updates that capture our tireless work to level up everything we are doing and make this project a reality.
First, we have released our most comprehensive annual report to date, noting the Peace Corps Foundation’s main accomplishments in 2023 and our progress toward the major milestone of approval on the final designs that will clear the way to break ground. We’ve also published the final inscriptions that will be included in the design proposal to be inscribed on the Park’s benches. And, we are seeking your input as we get the ball rolling on the digital companion that will enhance both the in-person and virtual experience of visiting Peace Corps Park.
As for the fundraising campaign, we are nearing the halfway point of our goal thanks to the recent challenge grant from philanthropist Jacqueline Mars and the matching gifts from so many of you who responded in kind.
You can keep the momentum going, so please consider making a donation today!
We’ve also refreshed our website and will be posting updates regularly between newsletters, so check out the Latest News section for the most recent developments on the Park’s progress, and remember to share with your networks as well.
Yours in service,
Glenn A. Blumhorst (Guatemala 1988-91)
Chief Advancement Officer
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation
Introducing Our 2023 Annual ReportLast year was a year of significant acceleration for Peace Corps Park, thanks to our generous community of supporters. Your contributions to raising funds and raising awareness of the project have helped us nail down a timeline for breaking ground on this important legacy project. |
| A key component of Peace Corps Park is the digital visitor experience that will both enhance in-person visits to the site and allow people from anywhere in the world to take a virtual tour of the Park. We have begun planning the project with our goal to release an initial version ahead of the physical groundbreaking, and we’d like to hear your thoughts on what features you’d most like to see in a companion app and website.
We are very excited to develop this digital platform, as it will allow us to tell the Peace Corps story more deeply, with features on the history of the program, lists of volunteers who have served, and first-hand audio and video accounts of the impacts of service, both from volunteers themselves and the local partners they work with. Please fill out this three-question survey to help us shape this critical component of Peace Corps Park! |
Inspiring Inscriptions Will Capture the Timeless Values of ServiceThanks to your input and the counsel of our advisory board, we have finalized the selection of inscriptions to include in the proposal for Peace Corps Park’s final design. Critical in this effort was capturing both the values of international service and partnership, and representing voices that embody the principles on which the Peace Corps was founded. With two quotes from the original architects of the program and two from inspiring leaders of countries that have hosted Peace Corps Volunteers, we are confident that the Park’s visitors will find inspiration no matter where they are coming from and hope that our partners at the National Park Service and U.S. Commission of Fine Arts agree. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” The quote that started it all, from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961, served as a rallying cry for thousands of Americans who made up the initial cohorts of Peace Corps Volunteers. It’s a call to action that still resonates today, and helps remind people that everyone has the power and potential to make a difference in the world. This quote will greet visitors at the Park’s main entrance on Louisiana Avenue, NW. Find out more about this and the other quotes on our website. |
E&ERPCV is having a virtual event with Glenn which we are inviting you to join:
Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 6 p.m. ET
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84667677809?pwd=dXk5TWtXaWJWZkkxb0U0TFVCYXgwdz09
It will be a chance for you to receive more nformation and to ask questions.
Looking forward to it! Everyone and anyone should feel free to join us.
If you’re looking for park bench quotes, this might work:
“My Walden was no walk from civilization.” Lawrence F. Lihosit, South of the Frontera; A Peace Corps Memoir.