MorePeaceCorps: Bigger. Better. Bolder.

Urge these 14 Subcommittee Members to Give the Full $450 Million to Peace Corps on July 7

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Copy the text below and paste it into your word processing software. Personalize it by filling in the blanks and send to your Senator!

Dear Senator _______________,

You are a member of the Senate State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs appropriations subcommittee because you care profoundly about America’s role in the world.  You stand on the subcommittee as a gatekeeper, helping to determine how America presents itself to the rest of the world.  You have made many important votes in your life but none more crucial than that at the July 7, 2009 mark-up of the Foreign Operations Bill when you will be voting the appropriation for the Peace Corps. 

I am one of several million Americans who hope that on that day you will vote in favor of an appropriation of $450 million which is the bare minimum needed to build a bold new Peace Corps. This is the amount that will allow the Peace Corps to grow, reform and innovate at a time when the US needs soft power initiatives to help restore US standing in the world.  With this money hundreds of new volunteers will be able to head out to strategically important counties like Indonesia.

Your colleagues in the House listened to the fervent arguments from their constituents and thousands of other Americans, and in the end voted unanimously for the robust $450 million in a stellar act of bipartisanship.  Their acts will never be forgotten by the 195,000 returned volunteers who yearn to see a Peace Corps that after half a century fulfills all that President John F. Kennedy hoped it would be.  I hope that you will join them in their important vote.  I also hope that you will consider becoming a cosigner of Senator Dodd’s bill, the Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 that will create the underpinnings of this bold new Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps is neglected and under funded.  In 2009, we will send fewer than 3,500 volunteers to the Peace Corps - less than half the number in 1966.  Over twenty nations without Peace Corps missions including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone have requested new programs, but due to insufficient funds, Peace Corps cannot respond.  In 2008 alone, over 13,000 people applied to become volunteers, a 16% increase over 2007.  The number of minority applicants and applicants over the age of 50 also rose by double digits in the last year. The desire for Americans to serve internationally is matched by a long list of countries that want volunteers.  This is an appropriate time to grow and revitalize Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps had a profound impact on my life and US community.  I served in _______________.

I hope you share my view that the Peace Corps is a vital component of our public diplomacy toolbox.  Since 1961, nearly 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have provided meaningful, small-scale development assistance, reversing stereotypes about Americans and returning stateside to enrich communities domestically with new language and other skills.  Peace Corps continues to be one of America’s finest expressions of friendship and solidarity across the globe.

We must work diligently to reinvigorate our foreign policy and not simple burnish America’s image but show the world the greatness and generosity of individual Americans. Investing in a bold new Peace Corps would help to reestablish our credibility and moral standing abroad, while exposing people to the core American values of peace, progress, tolerance and prosperity.  It is for these reasons I urge you to support a $450 million Peace Corps appropriation on July 7. 

I appreciate the ardent support you have provided to the Peace Corps in the past and welcome your support in the subcommittee. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Democrats
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) (Chair)   202-224-4242
Senator Daniel Inouye (HI)   202-224-3934
Senator Tom Harkin (IA)   202-224-3254
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)   202-224-4654
Senator Richard Durbin (IL) 202-224-2152
Senator Tim Johnson (SD)   202-224-5842
Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)   202-224-5824
Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ)   202-224-3224
Senator Arlen Specter (PA)   202-224-4254

Republican
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) (Ranking Member)   202-224-3324
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY)   202-224-2541
Senator Robert Bennett (UT)   202-224-5444
Senator Christopher Bond (MO)   202-224-5721
Senator Sam Brownback (KS)   202-224-6521

Urge these 14 Subcommittee Members to Give the Full $450 Million to Peace Corps on July 7

TAKE ACTION TODAY

About the Campaign News & Events Supporters Take Action States Photos Privacy Policy Contact Us

MorePeaceCorps Campaign. Copyright © 2009. National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). Site by Barrel