Dear friends,

The WCPCA board extends a sincere thank you to those who have donated to support our work to celebrate "Peace Corps 50 in Eugene." Throughout 2011 we'll celebrate the role of Peace Corps service in our lives as well as the lives of fellow citizens in this country and those of our friends in the host countries where we served.

Events in Eugene will start on March 1st when we'll sponsor a noon rally in downtown Eugene and an evening of international music at Cozmic Pizza. There is no charge for the noon event and only a modest $10 charge for the evening's activities. To make these events self supporting we're still in need of in kind and cash contributions.

Our budget is approximately $2,500. Donations of $10 to $20 from our members will cover expenses. In kind contributions needed are birthday cakes, recyclable utensils for eating the cake, and materials for signage. Anything that we raise over expenses will fund Peace Corps Partnership projects. Please consider a tax deductible donation for this anniversary year. For in kind donations please contact me at president@westcascadepca.org.

Many thanks in advance from the WCPCA board for your generous support. Please click here to make a donation online http://www.westcascadepca.org/donate.php or send a check to WCPCA, PO Box 5462, Eugene, 97405. For in kind donations, please contact me at president@westcascadepca.org.

Please consult our website for a full list of events, http://www.westcascadepca.org/fiftieth/PC50.php.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Soper, (RPCV, Ghana 1963-65)
President, Board of Directors

P.S. Visit "Peace Corps 50 in Eugene" on Facebook and join the crowd signing up to celebrate: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=151588668199915.

http://www.westcascadepca.org/fiftieth/PC50.php

A handful of dedicated West Cascade members are planning two BIG events for March 1, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps. West Cascade aims to gather RPCVs and citizens from all 139 host Peace Corps countries for a March 1 noon rally at Broadway Plaza, followed by a 7pm party at Cozmic Pizza.

This month the planning team is calling on volunteers to join them, to make Peace Corps 50 in Eugene a big success. Volunteers will help with tasks ranging from programming, invitations, media to marketing. If you only have a few hours to spare, we can give you a discrete task, like cutting cake!

Please write to maggie@pacinfo.com if you want to join our list of volunteers. We will start calling on your help this month.

Why Oregon?

On March 1, there will be 50th anniversary celebrations across the country. Why is Eugene a special place to celebrate? Mayor Kitty Piercy was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia. Kitty?s husband was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran. The first baby born to Peace Corps Volunteers lives in Eugene, Oregon. The youngest person to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer lives in Eugene, Oregon. Read more:

The 2011 board held its first meeting on January 3rd spending much of its time planning for the events of March 1st which you'll read about elsewhere in the newsletter. The board also set program goals for 2011. Highlights of the meeting are below.

1. The treasurer's report showed the organization to be in a healthy financial situation with the following balance in our accounts.

   • OCCU checking account: $2689
   • OCCU savings account: $5027
   • OCCU savings account for restricted funds dedicated to funding grants or augmenting the principal in the Beryl Brinkman Memorial Fund at the Oregon Community Foundation: $1888.
   • Balance in the Beryl Brinkman Memorial Fund is approximately $26,000.

   WCPCA received approximately $1,100 in distributions from the fund in 2010. These distributions may be used only for funding grants or augmenting the fund's principal.

   Membership dues have covered our ongoing fixed expenses. Fundraising, distributions from the memorial fund, and donations cover the award of grants.

   We anticipate that the March 1st events to celebrate "Peace Corps 50 in Eugene" will be self-supporting through in kind or cash donations, sponsorships, and an admission charge of $10 for the evening musical celebration at Cozmic Pizza.

2. The board agreed upon the following program goals for its work in 2011:

   • Goal #1: Continue bimonthly potlucks with a program. This task will be the Vice President's responsibility. Members interested in hosting a potluck or suggesting a program should contact Maggie at vicepresident@westcascadepca.org.
   • Goal #2: Award a minimum of $2,000 to humanitarian projects. The membership is invited to suggest such projects to the board. A list of projects funded since the 1980s and the rubric which the board uses to evaluate projects for funding are posted on the website at http://www.westcascadepca.org/projects.php.
   • Goal #3: Develop a fundraising plan and pursue fundraising projects. This is a total board responsibility.
   • Goal #4: Encourage and support opportunities for members to participate in local service projects. The board will consider proposals of such opportunities from the membership and will ask those making an approved proposal to organize the participation.
   • Goal #5: Plan local activities for the celebration of "Peace Corps 50 in Eugene." This is a total board responsibility.

This report was approved by the 2010 board at its December meeting and is posted on the website at http://www.westcascadepca.org/newsletter/2010-AnnualReport.php.

The annual general membership meeting required by the constitution was held in conjunction with a potluck dinner on November 12th at the home of Dave and Dorothy Soper. About 30 people attended.

After dinner we had a short business meeting at which those attending elected a slate of new board members for 2011. Members of the new board are listed below. Minutes of the annual meeting are posted on the website.

Our program was a presentation by Andy Behl, a recent returnee from PC work in St. Lucia in the eastern Caribbean. Andy worked in youth and sports development from 2007-2010. He’s now enrolled in the U of O’s School of Business in the sports marketing program.

Andy was a pole vaulter in college and the development of this sport took place in St. Lucia while he was there. He was closely involved in this effort in addition to his assigned work. We all appreciated Andy’s interesting and enthusiastic presentation.

WCPCA board of directors for 2011:
Officers:
President: Dorothy Soper, Ghana (1963-65)
Vice President: Maggie Keenan, Philippines (1987-90)
Treasurer: Dale Morse, Nepal (1969-71)
Secretary: Wendy Nelson, Poland (1995-97)
Communications Coordinator: Felicia Kenney, Benin (2003-04) University of Oregon PC Recruiter (ex officio): Justin Overdevest, Dominican Republic (2002-04), Peru (2004-06)

The spring issue of Eugene Magazine will be devoted to health care and one article will feature local RPCVs who worked in this field as PCVs and/or do so now. If you are one of these people and are willing to be interviewed by reporter Mikael Krummel, please let me know or contact Mr. Krummel directly. If you know of someone with this background who might not see this article, please show it to them and encouage them to respond.

Mikael Krummel
Writer & Photojournalist
Eugene, Oregon
541-517-2194 (mobile)
541-338-0050 (office)
Email: meta444@gmail.com

This is a good opportunity for local RPCVs to illustrate their role in our community. I hope that there is a good response.Thank you in advance for your interest.

The WCPCA board has recently become aware of excellent volunteer opportunities for Spanish speakers with the Eugene area Red Cross. Since encouraging volunteer service is one of the organization's goals, we are sending this letter of explanation to our membership.

If you speak Spanish and are interested in pursuing this opportunity, please contact Mr. Keffer. If you pursue this opportunity please let me know so that I'll be aware of the work and perhaps can let others know. Thank you for your interest.

Dorothy Soper
Email: president@westcascade.org
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Hello Ms. Soper,

My name is Nathan Keffer and I'm the Youth Services Coordinator for the Oregon Pacific Chapter (OPC) of the Red Cross. I'm writing with information about the First Aid Service Team (FAST) to follow up your meeting with the Oregon Pacific Chapter's Executive Director, Tod Thayer. Tod mentioned that you work with many former Peace Corps volunteers who have Spanish-speaking abilities. Our Youth Services currently has a need for adults and young adults (roughly ages 21 to 40) who speak Spanish. We are starting to heavily recruit Spanish-speaking youth of the Eugene-Springfield area into our programs and will need adult mentors to supervise the program. Below is more information about the youth services programs we offer.

FAST is a youth-led group of youth and adult professional rescuers who provide first aid stations at nearly 50 community events around Lane County every year. The team also teaches health and safety programs to younger children, staffs booths at high school career and health fairs, and organizes community service projects. Some notable events that FAST provides first aid at include all Ducks football games at Autzen Stadium, the Eugene Celebration, the Oregon Asian Celebration, the Eugene Race for the Cure, the Eugene Marathon, Fiesta Latina, junior roller derbies, road races, and more. Youth respond to emergencies at these events and provide medical care as needed. FAST members have cared for conditions such as sprained and strained joints, fractured legs and collarbones, head trauma, heat-related emergencies, strokes, and sudden cardiac arrest. Members work in conjunction with local emergency medical service personnel for serious medical emergencies.

Our youth volunteers are ages 14 to 20 and serve as elected officers to help guide the direction of the program, fundraise, and make FAST more visible in the community. FAST meets once at least once a month to plan future events, refresh professional rescuer skills, complete team-related projects, and to socialize. Goals of the program include equipping youth volunteers with job-ready skills that qualify them for entry-level work in a health or medical career, connecting them with positive Red Cross adult mentors and other professionals in the community, and placing them in leadership roles within the program. The youth also benefit from a supportive group of peers from a number of Lane County school districts. Recently, we have begun a project that equips youth with substantial pre-employment skills by training them in résumé creation and participating in mock job interviews.

Adult volunteers serve as supervisors and mentors to the youth and provide guidance for treatment as necessary. I would greatly appreciate if you could connect me with the former Peace Corps members you work with to see if there is interest in participating in OPC's Youth Services. Please let me know what additional information I could provide.

Thank you,

Nathan Keffer | Youth Services & FAST Coordinator
American Red Cross