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Email Newsletter for January 2010Greetings from the West Cascade Peace Corps Association!
We're changing things around just a little in the newsletter. First off, we're going to call this the "January Newsletter" rather than December, so you didn't miss one. We're just changing how we label it. We're including a section called "From the Board", in which board members talk about things that they are working on. Also, we have decided to stick with the shorter format that we tested out last issue. This means that long articles are abbreviated, with links that point you to the whole article on the website. Additionally, attached you will find a PDF of this newsletter, which can be read or printed via Adobe Acrobat (or your favorite PDF reader).
The January board meeting will be on Wednesday, January 13th, 7:00
pm, at the home of George Jeffcott. The January potluck will be on Friday, January 22nd, 6:00 pm, at
the home of Nancy and Walt Meyer, 3987 Brae Burn Drive (in south
Eugene off of Willamette). After dinner our hosts will give a slide
show about their service in Mexico, 2006-2008. Nancy was a teacher
and Walt worked as an engineer. Bring a dish to share. Plates, cups,
and utensils will be provided. If you have questions please call
Dorothy Soper at 343-3924. The March potluck will be on Sunday, March 7th, at 6:00 pm. Site to
be determined. Dr. Nicole Brulé, WCPCA member and practicing psychologist, will talk about the readjustment issues faced by RPCVs, how the Peace Corps responds, and her suggestions of ways that family members, friends, and professionals may best offer support.
Happy New Year to our membership! The board is looking forward to an
active and fulfilling year for our membership and our organization.
Please share your ideas and join our activities. We look forward to
hearing from you.
Appreciative "thank yous" to these members who took part in recent
outreach activities:
With the combined effort of many members, the ads on our website,
and sales at the Saturday and Holiday Markets we sold 200
international calendars for 2010, earning approximately $1,250 in
profit for WCPCA. Many thanks to everyone who took part both by
purchasing and selling calendars. You've made this effort highly
productive. Enjoy your calendars!
Rolly Thompson WCPCA staffed a booth at Eugene's lively Holiday Market over the
weekend of December 12/13. Sales of calendars, shirts, and
caricatures drawn by James Cloutier totaled approximately $300.
Many thanks to those who took part: James Cloutier, Joe Hindman,
John Hofer, Diane Jeffcott, George Jeffcott, Maggie Keenan, Laura
Massengale, Deb McLaughlin, Jack Meacham, Michael Mooser, Shannon
Micheel, Wendy Nelson, Justin Overdevest, Dorothy Soper, Artis
Spriggs, Rolly Thompson, Wayne Thompson, Bob Watada, Bob York, and
Darlene York. We were a great team!
Michael Kresko What happened in 2009? The board reports that WCPCA accomplished the
following:
hosted six potlucks with programs of which two were at the
University of Oregon to celebrate new volunteers in the spring and
welcome returning volunteers in the fall. The latter two were
organized in cooperation with the Peace Corps recruiter's office at
the U of O. Twenty-five to thirty people typically attend the
potlucks in private homes and twice that number attended the
potlucks held at the U of O. organized fundraising activities including a delicious Thai dinner
at Mekala's Restaurant in Eugene and the sale of merchandise
(calendars, shirts, cards) by individuals, through the website, and
at the Saturday and Holiday Markets in Eugene. granted $2,000 to four humanitarian projects. volunteered at two Food for Lane Country fundraising events. upgraded electronic communications by redesigning and expanding
the website, sending members a monthly email newsletter, and
distributing the membership directory as a .pdf file in January and
August. expanded membership to 115. New members include several newly
returned PCVs some of whom are students at the U of O. Students and
newly returned volunteers are exempt from paying dues. participated in other outreach activities including staffing a
booth at the Eugene International High School's "Africa" day;
supporting Peace Corps recruitment at the University of Oregon;
hosting a northwest regional RPCV organizations' meeting and taking
part in the regional campout in August. established the Beryl Brinkman Memorial Fund with the Oregon
Community Foundation. This is an endowed fund of $25,000 made
possible through three generous donations and of which the
distributions are dedicated to funding humanitarian projects. completed the year with $8,474 in the bank. The full annual report for 2009 will soon be posted on the website.
What are we planning for 2010?
At its December meeting the board adopted five goals and a budget
for 2010. We've listed these below but above all we invite
additional ideas and participation from our membership.
Board meetings are open to the full membership and members are
welcome to take part in the organization's business activities.
Board meeting dates are listed on the website. Feel free to contact
board members whose names and contact numbers are on the website and
in the membership directory.
Board goals for 2010:
Continue bimonthly potlucks with a program starting in January. If
you have ideas for programs or can host a potluck for 25-30 people
in your home, please contact Dorothy Soper.
The board discussed having other types of social activities during
the alternate months. Suggestions included having family friendly
activities, sports activities, and social gatherings in a home or
bar. If you have suggestions or can help organize an activity,
please contact George Jeffcott. Grant a total of $2,000 to humanitarian projects starting in
March. Projects will be selected at board meetings. Members are
welcome to attend the meetings and contribute to the discussion.
Contact James Cloutier for further information. Identify fundraising activities and people willing to pursue them.
If you have suggestions, please contact Rolly Thompson. Identify local service projects for members of WCPCA to take part
in as a group. If you have a volunteer activity to suggest, please
contact John Hofer. Plan local activities for the celebration of the 50th anniversary
of the Peace Corps in 2011. We can build upon activities planned by
the National Peace Corps Association. The board is looking for
someone to spearhead this effort. Please contact James Cloutier if
you can help or have suggestions.
Budget for 2010:
Anticipated expenses:
- Fixed expenses: $337
- Variable expenses: $2,865
- Grants: $2,000
- Total: $5,202
Anticipated income:
- Membership dues: $1,400
- Fundraising through merchandise sales: $2,300
- Donations: $50
- OCF distributions: $1,125
- Total: $4,875
Note: no large social or mail based fundraisers are included in the
income projection but the board is working on this. Current account
balances can cover all of the anticipated 2010 expenses, so the
board accepted the small discrepancy between the current anticipated
expenses and income shown for 2010. WCPCA board members Rolly Thompson and Bob Watada will be attending the 6th Annual NonProfit Organization Board Training on Saturday, January 23, 2010, at LaSells Stewart Center Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Bob will be sponsored by the local Japanese American Association. We expect to bring back some great ideas to make WCPCA a great organization.
Bob Watada Upcoming Directory
We're going to be putting out another edition of the membership directory in mid-February. It is in PDF format and is sent to current members only. In addition to contact information and Peace Corps service information, we're thinking of including a short "networking" section, like "hobbies include cross country skiing and fishing" or "working on a project in Mexico that could use some help". We'll send out more information on the directory in the near future. If you aren't a member and would like to get in on this or if you haven't updated your contact information in a while, go to
the membership section of our website.
Felicia Kenney A note about taxes
We just wanted to remind you that dues and donations to WCPCA are tax deductible because WCPCA is recognized by the IRS as a nonprofit charity with 501 (c) (3) status.
In 2009, Corvallis ranks #2 for Peace Corps Volunteers in metropolitan
areas (per capita) and Oregon ranks #5 in states (per capita).
More Info People Magazine's 2010 predictions include: "10. Jon Gosselin joins
the
Peace Corps on a special mission with Nadya Suleman, and neither is
heard from again."
More Info New Year's Day Traditions from Around the World
More Info
The full text of the minutes is available on the website.
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