RI-RPCV Newsletter - October 1998             Editor Nanci Martin Smith

RI-RPCV  1998-1999 First Meeting
The Cadeaux du Monde Shop in Newport was the site of the first 98-99 meeting of the RI-RPCVs.  Katie Dyer hosted the potluck dinner event at her colorful African gift shop. Over 20 returned volunteers and their guests attended. Many ideas about future meetings, projects and upcoming events were discussed over delicious dishes and refreshing drinks.
  Betty Leonard who had agreed to be the group leader again this year, called an informal meeting. She requested that all introduce themselves with a mini-bio (attendees listed below) and then called for a treasurer’s report. Barbara Fontaine indicated that we are starting the year with $1383.80 in our treasury and that we now have 60 paid RI-RPCV Members. Katie Dyer suggested we again donate $250.00 to the Global Teach Net and a motion was made and passed to that effect. Mike and Marianna DeVine invited all to a dinner at their  international church, St. George’s in Central Falls on October 10,1998.  They also suggested one of our meetings might take place on a Blackstone River Tour either this Fall or perhaps in the Spring. A group of approximately 40 people would cost $35.00 or so (B.Y.O.F.) and it would be an interesting environmental meeting. Everyone seemed interested and asked the Devines to look into possible dates.
  Carolyn Anderson reminded everyone to send in updates for the RI-RPCV Directory (not only address and phone changes, but also e-mail and Fax info). Unless a volunteer gives our group permission to publish their name and other info, we can not include them in the directory. If  you know any RI-RPCV who are not listed in our directory, please ask them to fill out the Directory Information Form.
  After Betty gave a quick rundown of officers already in place, she then called for (and received) volunteers to fill the remainder of the slate.  The first business meeting will be held in November at her home in Providence.
  A list of RI-RPCV who attended the 23 Sept Meeting follows: Betty Leonard, Carolyn Anderson, Barbara Fontaine, Katie Dyer, Jane Perkins, Nanci Martin Smith, Es Smith, Jim Anderson, Wendy Stapleton, Robin Anderson, Andrew Ditson, Anthony Sandonato, Pam Rubinoff, Michael DeVine, Marianna DeVine, Diane Brandley, Donna Figueroa, Mary Richards, Lucy Mueller and Debbie Bacon.
 Ending the evening in a Peace Corps Helping-Others-Tradition, we donated all the left over food to Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown which is a shelter for homeless women and children.

DID YOU KNOW?
  * 1999 PC CALENDARS are now being  printed. They are $10.00 each. Please call Betty Leonard to order yours.
 Editor’s Note:
  From time to time I plan on including various articles and listings of events that may be of interest to our membership. These do not reflect any official Peace Corps endorsements, but are merely editorial food for thought. The main thrust of the newsletter will be to keep you all abreast of our group’s meetings and projects. One of our main concerns is  to promote the Peace Corps through our experiences, our local work, and our pride in being RPCVs. As first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton  recently urged,  RPCV’s should inspire more Americans to join and get involved in the world. The Peace Corps spirit should infuse every American "with the idea that we are interconnected, we have a stake in the success, the prosperity and the peace of people throughout our world."
  Speaking of Peace Corps Pride, do you support other RPCV groups by buying their products?? Just a small colorful lapel pin that says Returned Volunteer brings lots of inquiries about our organization (see order form on last page). It’s hard for me to believe we have a mailing list of over 300 RPCV in Rhode Island and Southern Mass and we only have 60 paid members!!  What happened to the great ‘Espirit de Corps’ that drove us to volunteer in the first place? Let’s try to rekindle that great helping-others-spirit that we all had.

RI-RPCV Board 1998-99
Group Leader:  Betty Leonard   453-6238     eleonard@brainiac.com
Treasurer:  Barbara Fontaine    789-1665
Newsletter:  Nanci Martin Smith   683-1518    Srusmith@aol.com
Directory:  Carolyn Anderson    274-0748
Label DataBase:  Katie Dyer    624-8224 (h) 848-0550 (w)
RIRPCV Web Site:  Stan Premy    732-0253    stanpremy@ids.net
World Wise Schools:  Jim Alexander    827-0712
 JCAlex42@aol.com Global 
TeachNet: Lucy Mueller    792-3201    mueller@intap.net
Reconnect for newly RPCV:  Jennifer Ewing    521-1235

Friends of the Dominican Republic
The Friends of the Dominican Republic is a new national nonprofit organization composed of 155 Peace Corps Volunteers and staff who served in that nation but is open to others who are interested in the Dominican Republic and share the goals of the American Peace Corps.
"Responding to the hurricane disaster in the Dominican Republic", said Neil Ross, RPCV and President of the Friends of the Dominican Republic,"our group is reaching out to others with information about the situation there, and asking for help. The best help Americans can give now is with cash donations. We recommend making donations of money which can be used much more quickly than sending materials, such as clothing and blankets,"Ross added. "Cash moves quickly and can be immediately spent to purchase and distribute existing supplies of food and reconstruction. Long term, the Dominicans have the resolve and ability to recover, but their immediate needs are for food in the stomach and roofs overhead to relieve the suffering."
The Friends of the Dominican Republic asks for donations directly to a special account in Santo Domingo set up by the Peace Corps for this emergency. Money will be used to buy food, water, soap, construction materials, and other supplies needed to help the Dominicans survive and recover. "This program needs funds now,"Ross reported, "and I appeal to my fellow Americans to contribute now."
Contribution checks made payable to "Peace Corps/DR" should be sent this stateside mail drop:
Mary Hogan, 
Assistant Peace Corps Director 
US Peace Corps
Unit 5516 APO AA 34041-5516
Donations can get there faster using overnight express mail through DHL or Federal Express, by sending to the Peace Corps street address: in the Dominican Republic:
Cuerpo de Paz
Av. Bolivar 451
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
COMING ATTRACTIONS!
African Trade Day - 17 November 1998
"Business Opportunities in Africa": A Conference for Small Business
The World Trade Center of Rhode Island, in conjunction with the Minority Investment Development Corporation, the RI Export Assistance Center at Bryant College and the United Black and Brown Fund of Rhode Island, will hold a conference on "Business Opportunities in Africa" at the RI Convention Center in Providence on Wednesday, 17 November 1998.
Mr. Randall Robinson, President of TransAfrica and a well-known authority on African political and economic affairs, will provide the keynote address to the conference. Conference attendees will also hear from a distinguished list of representatives from Eritrea, Tanzania, South Africa and Sierra Leone, as well as a panel of successful Rhode Island business men and women currently doing business in Africa. This panel will include RIPCV's own Katie Dyer, owner and operator of Cadeaux du Monde, an African specialty shop in Newport, RI.  RIPCV members are invited to attend this for the conference fee of $ 35. Registration will begin at 0800 at The RI Convention Center. Contact the World Trade Center of Rhode Island at (401) 351-2701 for details.

Next RI-RPCV Meeting
The next meeting of the RI-RPCVs will be held Nov. 12th at the India Restaurant in Providence. Katie and Barbara are working with the owner to come up with a special dinner. The cost will be $20.00 pp which includes the dinner, tax and gratuity - cash bar.  You MUST RSVP to Katie Dyer,624-8224, by 4 Nov to reserve your spot and get directions to the:
 India Restaurant
 123 Dorrance  St, Providence
 Nov 12, 1998 at 7 pm - Hope to see you there!

Global TeachNet
by Lucy Mueller
One of the newer programs of the National Peace Corps Association is Global TeachNet, a network of educators dedicated to bringing the world home to U.S. classrooms. In other words, this program is aimed at the third goal of the Peace Corps which is to bring a global perspective back to the United States.
Launched with a grant from the Knight Foundation and supported by funds from organizations like our RI-RPCVs, TeachNet disseminates global education materials nationwide via on-line networking, conferences, and workshops. Members are educators or others who are interested in global education programs for the classroom. Many, although not all, are former Peace Corps volunteers or others with international or intercultural experience.
RI RPCVs will be pleased to know that the national director of this program is Anne Baker, a former member of our group. I have volunteered to be the RI Coordinator for Global Teachnet, a role which Baker says is "still in the process of being defined".
Watch for more about Global TeachNet and how you can be involved in upcoming issues. You might want to visit TeachNet’s  website:
http://site041011.primehost.com/globaled/

Editor:   Nanci Martin Smith   (Cameroon 64-66) (401) 683-1518  srusmith@aol.com