Email Newsletter for June 2009
Greetings from the West Cascade Peace Corps Association!
In this edition of our electronic newsletter, you'll find:
July 9: Board meeting at 7pm
July 22: Internet Security Class from 1-4pm
"Believe nothing that you read and only half of what you see." It is an old proverb, but one that is especially apt when dealing with the Internet. There are plenty of people (and programs) looking to deceive you online, but following some basic rules will help you avoid most pitfalls. In the second of our WCPCA computer classes, we will discuss keeping your computer and personal information secure, choosing good passwords, avoiding identity theft, and deciding if email and webpages are legitimate. This class will take about three hours and will cover information for both PC and Mac users. A laptop is not required but could be helpful. Please contact info@westcascadepca.org if you are interested. If you would like to attend an evening session of this class, let us know.
July 25: Family-friendly picnic and potluck from 1-6pm in Tugman Park in south Eugene. This will be a family friendly picnic, so feel free to bring family and friends - along with a blanket to sit on and perhaps a Frisbee. Bring a dish to share, but due to park rules, we ask you to not bring alcohol. Paper plates, glasses, and utensils will be provided.
August 21 - 23: Northwest Regional RPCV Campout
The 2009 Regional Campout will be held at Bridge Creek, a group site in the Wenatchee National Forest, with SEAPAX as host. More information can be found at the SEAPAX website (http://home.seapax.org/2009/01/10/regional-campout-august-21-23-at-bridge-creek).
September 5: Eugene Celebration Parade
Join us in the annual Eugene Celebration parade! The parade begins at 9:30am. More information on our meeting place is to come.
September 11: Bimonthly potluck
November 13: Annual Meeting
Work of Students Helping Street Kids International (SHSKI)
Bob Crites, WCPCA member and founder of SHSKI, has returned for the
summer to Eugene from Brazil where he was a PCV in the sixties.
Bob has retired as a school counselor in Springfield but continues
his work as director of SHSKI which supports the education of
impoverished students in Brazil and elsewhere. At Bob's invitation
one of the SHSKI Brazilian students, Priscilla Dantas, a recognized
classical musical prodigy, will visit Oregon this summer to give
several piano concerts. WCPCA members are invited to attend her
Eugene concert.
For several years Priscilla's education at the Pernambuco Music
Conservatory in Recife, Brazil has been sponsored by SHSKI. At the
age of 16 Priscilla has won several piano competitions and performed
throughout northeastern Brazil. Last summer she performed in the
Oregon and has returned to continue that effort. Priscilla's goal
is to be an international classical concert pianist.
WCPCA members are invited to her performance at the Central
Presbyterian Church, 555 E 15 th Avenue, Eugene, on Tuesday, July
21st, at 7:00 pm.
Membership and fundraising mailing:
In early June WCPCA sent 285 letters to local RPCVs who are not
members of the organization to invite them to join and/or support
our work through a donation. This was our first major effort to
build upon our new 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS which makes
membership dues and donations to the organization tax deductible.
Through returned letters we found that some people have left the
area. But as of June 25th the organization has welcomed eleven new
members who joined after receiving the letter. We've also received
three donations.
I'm sending an email or paper letter to all of our new members to
welcome them. By midsummer we'll update our electronic membership
directory and send it out so that all members will have a current
list of the full membership and be able to identify new members.
Our membership is over 100 now and growing!
Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut introduced a landmark bill to expand and reform the Peace Corps last week. It is well worth the few minutes it takes to read the text of his speech.
The full text of the minutes is available on the website.
Attending: Rolly Thompson, Wayne Thompson, Bob Watada, Michael
Kresko, Shannon Micheel, James Cloutier, Felicia Kenney, Justin
Overdevest, Dorothy Soper.
The meeting was held at the home of Michael and Shannon.
The minutes of the previous meeting had been circulated and approved
via email. Rolly presided at the meeting.
Jack had circulated the treasurer's report via email. He was
unable to attend the meeting. Major expenses of the last month
were the purchase of 800 calendars for 2010 that we'll sell as a
fundraiser, $869; purchase of food for the NOM party, $164; and the
annual payment for the Dotster website server, $71.
Account balances:
- OCCU, general funds: $4,600
- OCCU, Beryl's memorial fund: $700
- E. Jones' money market fund (Beryl's fund): $6,600
- E. Jones' bond: $20,000
Total assets are approximately $31,900. The board accepted the
treasurer's report.
Dorothy reported on our fundraising mailing to local and nearby
RPCVs who are not members of the organization: 285 letters were
mailed by first class mail on Wednesday, 6/10. This fundraising
effort is our first to build upon the organization's 501 (c) (3)
status with the IRS as a public charity. Donations and membership
dues are tax deductible.
Many thanks from the board go to the people who worked on this
mailing. Names are listed below:
Rob Dwan, Michael Kresko, Jack Meacham, Shannon Micheel, Dorothy
Soper, and Rolly Thompson who typed the names and addresses of RPCVs
listed in the new national RPCV directory. We had to do this in
order to make mailing labels:
Felicia Kenney who turned these spreadsheets into a data base that
we can use again as well as the mailing labels that we used this
time.
Linda Ague, Gwen Bailey, Diane Jeffcott, Dorothy Soper, and Artis
Spriggs who stuffed and mailed the envelopes.
Congratulations to Justin Overdevest, U of O Peace Corps
recruiter, for a banner year in recruiting new PC nominees and
celebrating them at the annual NOM party in May. We're pleased
that Justin will continue in this position next year.
Membership remains the same at approximately 90 members.
The board talked about activities for the coming months. We put
the following on our combination definite/planning schedule:
July 22: Felicia will offer a second computer class on internet
security Dorothy's home. This is for both PCs and Macs. All are
welcome. It's good but not necessary to bring a computer. This
is a definite. Consult the calendar for the date and time.
Rolly will contact Laura Kutner, whose PC program in Guatemala
recently received a $500 grant from WCPCA, about speaking to us
during the summer. She is home in Portland for much of the summer
and will return to her program in early fall. She has extended her
PC service for a third year.
July 25th: Family Friendly Picnic, Tugman Park on Hilyard in
south Eugene. Rolly is requesting a reservation from the city of
Eugene. We're thinking of picnic hours of 1-6 pm and asking people
to bring a dish to share. This is definite.
There is a playground for children but only one table at the site.
So we'll bring some tables and chairs but people should be prepared
to sit on the ground (blankets). The park has restrooms.
August: Bluegrass social/fundraiser : Shannon and Michael know
the head of a local bluegrass band, "Grassburners," that might play
at a fundraiser concert in their backyard. We set a tentative date
of Friday, August 14th. Shannon and Michael will develop this
possibility.
We noted that the annual northwest RPCV campout will be August 21-23.
September 5/6th: Eugene Celebration Weekend. We'll take part
in the parade and have an information booth with items to sell.
Rolly will make reservations. This is definite.
September 11th, potluck with a program: We thought of several
newly returned volunteers who might talk about their PC programs.
James will contact Andrea Callahan about her speaking to us. This
is definite.
October: Possible fundraiser/social gathering at a local
vineyard. Wayne will develop this idea and talk to the board at
the next meeting about it.
November/December: annual meeting including the election of the
next board and potluck with a program probably on November 13th.
This is definite.
In late November or early December, having a booth to sell calendars
and shirts at the Holiday Market. Rolly will check on this. This
is a definite.
Felicia would like to organize one or more hikes and will let us
know what seems good and feasible to her.
Rolly reported that the 2010 calendars from the Madison RPCV
group have arrived. We talked about selling them at two local
stores in addition to personal sales. James will check with a
store in Cottage Grove.
We talked about how to approach nominating people to be board
members for next year (2009-2010). Nominations need to be
publicized in October, a month before the election. The latter
will take place at November's annual meeting, which is likely to be
Friday, November 13th.
The board is actively seeking WCPCA members who are interested in
serving on the board next year. To find out more about this area
of service, please contact a board member. The organization's
vitality depends upon all of us taking an active role at least some
of the time.
Consult the calendar for the date of the July board meeting.
Minutes by D. Soper
