2008 | Fall | Rpcvw Newsletter

Fall 2008 Dear RPCVs,

The RPCVw Board of Directors for 2008-09 at their annual planning retreat.

Meet the 2008-09 RPCVw Board of Directors President: Jim Gore, Bolivia 03-05 Vice President: Molly Mattessich, Mali 02-04 Secretary: Joe Ford, Zambia 94-96 Treasurer: Jeffrey Lovelace, Bolivia 95-97 Membership: Bea Tijerina, Ghana 97-99 & Zambia 06 New Members: Elizabeth Olson, Burkina Faso 05-07 Communications: RaeJean Stokes, Ukraine 03-05 Web: Pei-Zei Lin, Burkina Faso, 04-06 Development: Lindsey Johnson, Phillipines, 05-06 Special Events: Tamar Schiffman, Uzbekistan 01 & Ukraine 01-03 Social: Corey Taylor, Benin 97-99 Community Service: Jessica Benton Cooney, El Salvador 04-06 Programs: Trish Calamari, Uzbekistan 04-05

As we reign in on the holiday season, all of us from the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington wish to send you our best. In July of this year our membership voted to elect the RPCVw Board of Directors for 08-09. This is my 3rd year as President of RPCVw, and I can sincerely state that this Board is the strongest and most self-starting, go-getting, get-it-done group of Directors that this organization has seen in some time. As many of you have already seen over the last few months through our listserv and other outreach materials, we have taken a powerful stride into actively supporting our membership through programs, events, and community building initiatives, and this is only a start to what you will see coming from RPCVw over the next few months. The following articles of this newsletter will introduce you to your RPCVw Board of Directors and the initiatives that they have and will continue to develop in support of you, our members, in your efforts to live your 3rd goal activities to their fullest potential. Regards,

Jim Gore

President RPCVw

Annual RPCVw Holiday Party Friday, December 5, 2008 6:30-9:30pm Josephine Butler House, Columbia Heights Members $25 ($30 after 11/14) Non Members $30 ($35 after 11/14) Buy tickets online at: http://www.rpcvw.org

*NEW* RPCVw Partnership Award Program This year, RPCVw will award one Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with $1,000 to start or continue a third goal initiative project. Our award will be similar to the Peace Corps Partnership program, but this year instead of granting an award to a current volunteer, we will select a worthy project from an RPCVw Member who continues to be involved in his or her community post-Peace Corps service. The award winner will be recognized at a reception in the spring. Please stay tuned for more information and for nomination criteria. If you have any questions please contact Molly Mattessich at [email protected].

50 x 50 campaign RPCVw’s exciting three-year membership plan went into effect in September and will run until the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps in 2011. The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington D.C. has launched a “50 by 50” membership campaign to increase our membership by 50 new members each year between now and the 50th anniversary in September, 2011. On July 12, 2008, RPCVs young and notso-young, recently and not-so-recently returned gathered together for the Annual Picnic. Good food and fun was enjoyed by all. Be sure to mark your calendars for next years’ celebration: July 11, 2009. More details to come in the spring.

Upcoming Events 11/13/08: RPCVw Thanksgiving Dinner** 11/18/08: “War Dance” Private Screening 11/22/08: Harvest Hike 12/2/08: Peace Corps Hockey Night 12/5/08: RPCVw Holiday Party 12/17/08: Food & Friends Service Project** ** Denotes members-only And after the New Year, look for: * Orthodox Christmas “Chow-Down” * RPCVw Ski Trip * Continued Monthly Happy Hours * and MUCH MORE! For more information on these and other events, check your inbox every Wednesday for the RPCVw’s weekly listserv. You can also visit us on the web at http://www.rpcv.org or on Facebook.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be reaching out to current members, and looking to our community to spread the word about the benefits of membership: FREE ADMISSION to members-only events, from interesting seminars to talks with guest speakers, fun social gatherings to community service activities, rewarding mentorships to networking events. ACCESS to posting on our listserv that reaches a targeted audience of over 2,000 internationally-minded and serviceminded people. DISCOUNTS on ticket prices for our Holiday Party and Annual Picnic. CONNECTIONS to members of one of the largest and most dynamic group of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the world! By the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, RPCVw hopes to play a leading role with Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association in the effort to celebrate the incredible legacy of the Peace Corps. We can only do so with an active, motivated member base. Please recruit your friends and group-mates living in the D.C. area, and be part of a monumental initiative! For more information about becoming a member, contact Bea at membership@rpcvw.

Are you a member of the NPCA? The National Peace Corps Association is a community of individuals and groups informed by the Peace Corps experience. Our expanding network encompasses nearly 35,000 individuals and over 130 member groups and includes RPCVs and many others who simply support Peace Corps values. In addition to staying connected to fellow RPCV’s, your membership dues helps support efforts to advocate on Capitol Hill to promote a better and bigger Peace Corps. Other membership benefits: RPCV Directories – providing names and contact information for members Worldview Magazine subscription Opportunity to become part of the NPCA’s Advocacy Network - a grassroots lobbying network supporting the Peace Corps and sustainable development Discounts and special programs GEICO auto insurance Bank of America credit card Hospitality Network Directory School for International Training Scholarships

To become a member today, please visit: www.rpcv.org.

“Swing State Ohio” is a Swinging Success On October 16th, nearly 75 members of RPCVw and the greater DC community gathered at Busboys and Poets for a special screening of the documentary film, “Swing State Ohio,” which covered the last 30 days of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio. With our own election only a month away, the screening was extremely timely. Filmmaker and RPCV Jed Wolfington was on hand to answer questions and give his impressions and thoughts about the 2008 election. Joining him was 2-time Ohio Congressional candidate and RPCV Barbara Ferris, who shared her personal experience with the 2004 election and talked about Ohio’s position as a swing state.

20 Intrepid Cycling RPCVw Members take to the C&O Canal October 18, 2008

By Jeffrey Lovelace It was a beautiful fall day as we left Georgetown on the C&O Canal path to make our way out to Seneca Creek, Md., via Great Falls. As we headed out of DC we picked up a number of other RPCVw’ers. Finally, our contingent full, we proceeded along a slightly gravelly and sometimes bumpy road following the canal. We had riders of all abilities and styles: road bike warriors with skinny tires, recently returned volunteers in flip flops, prior RPCVw board members and current RPCVw board members. The trees were fantastic as they shed their leaves and contributed an orange, red and yellow glow to everything, the sun was out and brightly shining and the wind was nonexistent, allowing us an easy ride along the slightly-elevated grade of 6%. At about mile 23 we reached Seneca Creek and with stomachs in overdrive, hankerings for biscuits and gravy we set out in search of a nice classic diner…what we found instead was Poole’s Store — perhaps the oldest continually operating general store in Montgomery County. While there were no biscuits and gravy, we did have some good old fashioned sandwiches, ‘gorp’ and more! The ride back was all downhill — though the trail seemed to get a bit rougher and bumpier. We ended 50 miles later at Tony & Joe’s for some well deserved food and drink.

About the RPCVw

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. (RPCVw) was founded in 1979 and incorporated in 1990 in the District of Columbia. RPCVw is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world. RPCVw is a nonprofit 501c3 and represents more than 900 returned Peace Corps volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and Peace Corps families and supporters in the greater Washington, D.C. area. RPCVw is governed by an elected board of directors. MISSION & VISION: By fostering opportunities to share our unique experiences and commitment to service, we create a community that celebrates the diversity of the greater Washington area and world cultures. GOALS: * Undertake and sponsor educational and charitable activities in support of the Peace Corps 3rd goal of “Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans;” * Inform and educate members and the public on matters relating to economic development and developing countries, including but not limited to those countries which have been served by the Peace Corps; * Support policies to maintain a strong and healthy Peace Corps; Encourage continuing volunteer involvement of its members in serving the needs of their local communities; * Affiliate and strengthen other organizations with similar vision and mission goals, such as the NPCA; and * Provide the foundation of a Community of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to support all of the above activities.

Become a Sponsor If your organization is interested in becoming an RPCVw sponsor, please start by either logging in to your existing account or create a new account profile. You will then be directed to a form where you will be asked to submit your sponsorship proposal. Sponsorship proposals are evaluated on a case by case basis by the RPCVw Board of Directors. For questions please e-mail [email protected].

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C.

Recipe of the Quarter Georgian Cheese Bread (a.k.a. Khachapuri)

Khachapuri, or Georgian cheese bread is one of the most delightful of all Caucasian specialties. It is made in many shapes and sizes, but the large loaf and small diamondsshaped tartlets are by far the most popular. Serves 12 to 15. 2 cups of unbleached white flour 1/2 teaspoon of salt 12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter, cut in pieces 2 eggs 1/4 cup of plain yogurt 1 1/4 pounds of mixed Muenster and Havarti cheeses egg yolk, beaten Put the flour and salt in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Beat 1 egg and stir in the yogurt, then add to the flour mixture. Form into a ball and chill for 1 hour. Grate the cheeses coarsely, beat the other egg, and stir it into the cheese. Set aside. Preheat the oven 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet. On a floured board roll the dough to a rectangle about 12 x 17 inches. Trim the edges. Spread the cheese mixture on half the dough and then fold the other half over to enclose it, sealing and crimping the edges. Transfer the bread to the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg yolk. Bake for 50 minutes or until browned. The bread is best served slightly warm, cut into small squares. Adapted from www.aboutgeorgia.net.

P.O. Box 66101 Washington D.C. 20035 Webite: www.rpcvw.org Email: [email protected]

The RPCVw Newsletter is quarterly. Look for the next installment after the New Year.