RI-RPCV Newsletter - February 1999
Introducing Jim Alexander
- our World Wise Schools Coordinator
Jim was born in Alabama the ninth child of fourteen children. After completing
high school, he ventured to Georgia's Paine College for his BS degree and
UMass Amherst for his Masters in Education. The Peace Corps was fortunate
to have Jim for 2 tours of service. He was a teacher in Sierra Leone
from 1965-68 and in Liberia from 1973-75. He has been involved in human
rights issues, childhood education, housing and community care services
in Ma., NY and Ohio, in addition to his work in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka,
Sudan and Zimbabwe as International Director for Plan International. Presently
he is Program Development Specialist for Community Care Services in Taunton,
Ma., as well as the R.I.coordinator for the Peace Corps Day.
Through World Wise Schools, RPCV's visit
local school classrooms and discuss their Peace Corps experiences on National
Peace Corps Day, March 2nd. If you would like to participate in this program,
please see the enclosed application form and instructions on page 4.
January
Meeting
By: Carolyn Anderson
About 20 RPCV gathered at the home of Nanci and Es Smith in Portsmouth
on Wednesday, January 13, for a potluck supper. As usual, it was
a bountiful table of delicacies enjoyed by all. And the congenial
conversation made everything even better.
During a brief meeting, Facilitator Betty Leonard announced that 96 calendars
were sold this year. The consensus was that, if we started early,
we could easily sell 100 next year.
The group voted to send $200 to Honduran aid; the National PC office
will be contacted for instructions on how to do this. This money
is part of the profit from calendar sales.
In addition, a $50 donation was approved for the Kyrstin Scharninghausen
Oupumako School Fund in care of the Clark Memorial Library in Richmond.
Kyrstin was a RI- PCV who died in an auto accident while serving
in Namibia in 1996. (Editor's note: This fund was established by Kyrstin's
mother to establish a library and educational resource center in the village
where Kyrstin had worked. In a related note, Joie Kallison, the PCV who
had been carrying on Kyrstin's work, was herself killed in a traffic accident
in March 1998.)
Jim Alexander encouraged members to participate in World Peace Day by visiting
a classroom in R.I. to talk about their PC experience.
Information was shared about an upcoming film series sponsored by Boston
RPCV. (See Coming Attractions) Suggestions for future gatherings
included attending a performance by an African dance group at URI in April.
Faith Fogle talked about the situation in Sierra Leone and encouraged members
to contact their congressional delegation.
On a lighter note, there was talk of having our own RI RPCV flag.
What do you think?
Many thanks to the Smiths for their hospitality.
Two upcoming RI-RPCV social
events in April - See details inside
World Premiere Concert about Peace Corps
in Boston
The Handel & Haydn Society celebrates the establishment of the Peace
Corps and John F. Kennedy's vision for peace with a world premiere.
We are all invited to attend a unique event this spring, the Friday,
March 19, 1999 world premiere of an Oratorio commissioned by the
New Heritage Music Foundation and produced by The Handel & Haydn Society.
Peace Corps director Mark Gearan has arranged for forty-two new Peace Corps
volunteers, who are staging in Boston before going to Senegal, to attend
the concert. The 45-minute Oratorio "Celebrating the Voice of Peace," about
the foundation of the Peace Corps and our never ending quest for peace,
will be part of a program that also includes works by Handel and J. S.
Bach, and will be presented at Symphony Hall at 8:00 p.m. The program will
also be performed on Sunday, March 21, at 3:00 p.m.
Sargeant Shriver has been invited to speak. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
will participate in speaking in the Boston
Public Schools and in an exhibit
about Peace Corps in the Symphony Hall lobby
over the weekend. If you would
be willing to display a three-dimensional
artifact from your service in a
glass case or would like more information
about this event, please contact Doane Perry by email at (DoanePerry@compuserve.com)
or at 617-547-1413 or Michael Jendrysik
(JendrysikM@aol.com) of The Handel
& Haydn Society at 617-262-1815,
Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue,
Boston, MA 02115. Please look
at the Society's web site at <www.handelandhaydn.org>.
Tickets range from $23-61 and may be purchased directly through the Handel
& Haydn Box Office at 617-266-3605. The Handel & Haydn Society
is pleased to offer Returned Peace Corps Volunteers a 20% discount off
the $46 and $36 price tickets.
Please identify yourself as an RPCV.
Coming Attractions
The 13th Annual International Institute Spring Ball will be held
on the 17th of April 1999 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet Ballroom, Cranston,R.I.
from 9:00pm to 1:00am. The ball has a Carnival theme and features an international
food-buffet, music, and dancing, as well as a costume contest and raffle
drawing. Dress for the ball is black-tie optional, but ethnic dress and/or
costumes are encouraged.
Tickets are $30.00 per person and advance student tickets are $15.00. If
you would like to volunteer an hour or so of your time your ticket is free!
For more information, contact Pam Pomfret (RPCV) 781-2698 or for tickets
call Paul Leduc 784-4630. Since we will not be holding a pre-ball event
this year, advise Pam/Paul that you are a RIRPCV so that we can be
seated together.
The International Institute of Rhode Island is an independent, nonprofit
agency which provides educational, social and legal services for the R.I.
immigrant and refugee community.
The Boston Area RPCVs are helping the Earthwatch Institute, Watertown,
Ma., sponsor Film dinners 1999. The films begin at 6:15pm at Earthwatch's
location, the former Coolidge School, 680 Mt. Auburn Street (at Arlington
St.) in Watertown. A buffet dinner follows. Tickets are $25.00 per evening
for film and dinner ($5.00 film only). Reservations can be made by calling
EARTHWATCH (617)-926-8200 or emailing info@earthwatch.org.
Following are descriptions of the 3 remaining Wednesday night film-dinners.
You can contact Betty Leonard (401) 453-6238 for further information.
24 February 99
STAIRWAY TO THE SKY - by Ole Gjerstad, Greenspace Productions.
This film focuses on the towering Ifugao rice terraces of Banaue
in the northern mountains of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
31 March 99
WEAVING THE FUTURE - by Mark Freeman. A video portrait of a unique indigenous
community living in the Andean highlands of northern Ecuador.
28 April 99
MANGOES UNDER THE TREE - by David Perry. This film is a sensitive
portrait of a 70 year-old limemaker,
a descendant of slaves, who spent
his life on the Coconut Walk Plantation on the West Indian
Island of Nevis.
And don't forget, the second annual PEACE CORPS DAY will be held on Tuesday,
March 2, 1999 in honor of the Peace Corps' 38th anniversary.
Editor's Note
I would like to thank Carolyn for her report on our past meeting. As the
hostess for the potluck, it was quite difficult to also take notes... in
fact, that brings up a question -would someone be willing to take notes
at the meetings for the newsletter? Contact Betty Leonard or me.
Also at our January meeting, we were fortunate that Michael Rice (Philippines:
81-85) spoke to he group about his experiences on Peace Corps Day
last year. He spoke at the West Warwick JHS
and found the students were attentive, interested
and asked many questions not only about the country but also the Peace
Corps. Mike felt it was a good, easy way to further one of the PC goals
- Bringing the World Back Home.
A discussion of our group finances made us realize that even though we
having a mailing list of over 300 RPCVs, only 60-70 of them are paying
RIRPCV members. Please check your mailing label which indicates when your
membership dues need to be paid. If there is no date on your label,
please join now. It takes quite a chunk out of our budget to print and
mail a newsletter to all our RIRPCVs. Even if you do not have the
time to physically help the group, when you pay your dues you are helping
our group support other PCVs and nonprofit groups.
Trying to raise money for our contributions-fund by perhaps coming up with
a RPCV flag or other marketable item was brought up If anyone has
an idea for a product, please send it to me and I will present it at the
next meeting.
And lastly, I was again asked by attendees
where I purchased the sharp-looking RPCV pin of red, white, navy and gold.
As I have indicated in past newsletters, they can be obtained from the
NORCAL RPCV group.
YEAR 2000 CALENDARS
Betty Leonard has announced that Diane Brandley
(Peru 66-68) will be the coordinator for sales of the PCV year 2000 calendars.
Our group sold almost 100 calendars which generated about $400.00 profit
for our treasury. In the past we have used the money for our own programs,
for partnership programs, and for donations to the Clark Memorial Library
Fund and the World Wise School program. This year we have also been able
to send a donation to PCVs in Honduras. Betty says that if each person
in the directory bought just one calendar, plus sales from special interest-groups
(ie teachers) and other RIRPCVs, we would generate enough profit
to enable us to contribute more to causes that are worthwhile to our own
group.
Look for details in our next newsletter.
Batoto Yetu
Dance Troupe
By Chip Young,
Communications Director,
Coastal Resources Center
University of Rhode Island
Plans are being made to bring a youth development dance troupe from Harlem
called Batoto Yetu ("Our children" in Swahili) to Rhode Island in late
April. The young performers range in age from five to 17.
This international program is headed by Julio Leitao, a professional dancer
and founder of the group. He was born in Angola, but as a child fled
the country with his mother and brothers to Zaire due to the civil war
there. Batoto Yetu was founded by Leitao in Harlem in 1990.
Its original purpose was to familiarize children of African descent with
African culture, and to instill pride in that culture by teaching them
African dance, song, music
and folk-tales. Most recently, Batoto
Yetu's impact on the community has
warranted expanding the program to children
of all ethnic backgrounds who
are interested in the celebration of African
culture.
In the past three years, satellite programs have been established in Lisbon,
Portugal and Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The goal of the Rhode Island performance
is to begin a satellite program in the state, as well as to raise funds
for a satellite school and program to be developed in Angola.
As a nonprofit program, Batoto Yetu promotes the development of confidence
and self-esteem, and encourages discipline and perseverance. All
of these positive influences contribute to the participants in Batoto Yetu
becoming responsible, successful and giving members of their community.
The costumes worn by the dancers and musicians are created to represent
the unique tribe that embodies the spirit of the children of Batoto Yetu.
They borrow ideas from traditional tribal garb from Angola, Zambia, Mozambique,
Kenya and Zaire. The jewelry is hand-made by members of the Maasai
tribe in Kenya, the Mumuílas in Angola, or crafted by the children
themselves.
Batoto Yetu has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal
and in the December 1998 issue of Vogue;
on Good Morning America, the Today Show and Sesame Street; and have performed
at the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, the UN, the Democratic National
Convention, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and before the world
premiere of the Muhammad Ali documentary, "When We Were Kings", at Radio
City Music Hall.
Exact plans as of press time were still being made as to time and date
for
a Providence performance. For more
information, call Chip Young at (401)
874-6630 (O)/423-1719 (H).
Phone: (401) 874-6630
FAX: (401) 789-4670
E-mail: cyoung@gso.uri.edu
Web site: http://crc.uri.edu
(Editor's note: Contact RIRPCV Christine Calverley
(telephone: (401) 792-8680) for more information on Batoto Yetu.
Some interesting websites
www.broadpoint.com
Sponsored long distance phone service: free
long distance calls for listening to short commercials.
http://www.hydroactive.com/watervision.htm
Real time video of several RI locations.
http://www.vtuner.com/
Real time radio from around the US and the World.
www.itdn.net
The International Trade Data Network, a comprehensive source of international
trade information operated by the RI Export Assistance Center. Log in and
get two months of free access to their databases.
Needed:
1.Your ideas for a late spring gathering
2. An events coordinator
3. Articles for future newsletters
Contact Betty Leonard or Nanci Smith