BUFFALO RPCV

NEWS OF THE RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS
OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK

Bringing the Peace Corps
to Western New York

Vol. XI: No.6May/June2017

IN THIS EDITION

  • Upcoming events/save the date
  • Highlights
  • Something of Interest

Do you have an announcement or item of interest to RPCVs?All area RPCV’s/Peace Corps supporters/interested persons are invited to submit event announcements, news Items or other items which may be of interest to the Western New York RPCV community. You may request for the information to be placed in the newsletter or as a separate email. Items submitted may be subject to editing and/or editorial discretion. Submit to:

Check out our webpage!

Join Us on Facebook!

Upcoming Events/Save the date:

*Annual Meeting: Friday June 16th at Lin Restaurant. Come and be informed about the happenings of our group and enjoy an ethnic dinner with your fellow RPCVs.

Agenda:

Arrive at 6: 00, chat and mingle

Annual meeting: 6: 15

Dinner at 6: 30

Lin Restaurant serves Burmese food

Where 927 Tonawanda St, Buffalo, NY 14207 Phone:(716) 260-2625

Google maps:

Time: 6: 00 pm

Cost: $25 includes appetizers, entrées,dessert, tea, tax, and tip

RSVP: by June 8th. Make checks payable to RPCV/Buffalo. (Audrey will be out of town) form on the last page)

Bylaws are attached to this email for those who are interested in viewing them. Copies will be available at the meeting and feedback is welcome.

BuffaloRPCV Board Position Openings

We encourage new members to come be a part of the board! If interested in running for Chairperson, Treasurer, Public Relations, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster or Membership Coordinator please see attached document for descriptions and contact Andy Smith,

*Pride Festival: June 4th at Canalside:

The Peace Corps promotes world peace and friendship. Peace, tolerance, and improving lives are core values of our organization. Supporting a diverse and inclusive environment is essential to achieving the Peace Corps mission. We value diversity—the individual attributes that together help us meet our goals. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. And in the spirit of diversity and inclusion and to celebrate National Pride Month- the Peace Corps will hosting a table to show our support and at the upcoming WNY Pride Festival onJune 4that Canalside from 1pm-7pm. We will be located in the Community Tent in the Pride Village, where we can share about our organization with festival-goers. Here is the website for more info:

I am looking for RPCVs to sign up to help man the table for any amount of time that you are free to help out. The festival begins at 1pm and ends at 7pm. I will plan to be there the whole time, but I am looking for interested RPCVs to help out by signing up for a shift to relieve me for any period of time. I will be bringing all supplies, table, tent and two chairs.

Please email me o sign up for a time to help out. Any amount of time you can lend is greatly appreciated. Once I have confirmed the volunteers for the day, I will distribute instructions for entering the festival for free (there is a $10 attendance fee) but vendors are free. Additional event details below:

Pride Festival Event Information:

EVENT DATE: Sunday, June 4

LOCATION: Canalside - 44 Prime Street, Buffalo, NY 14202- Community tent in the Pride Village

SET-UP TIME: I will be arriving at 11:30 to begin setting up- the event begins at 1pm.

LOCATION & PARKING: Canalside can be easily accessed from Buffalo through city streets like Pearl, Washington and

Scott, by riding to the southern end of the Rapid Transit rail system on Main Street (Erie Canal Harbor Station), or from

exits off the I-190 and Skyway (Route 5). Use the address 44 Prime Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 for GPS navigation. Pride

Village vendors are permitted to unload setup materials on Lloyd Street and quickly remove vehicles (drop-off only).

(Please note: free parking on Prime, Lloyd, Hanover, and Perry Streets will not be available during this event).

SITE MAP: A site map for the event is available online at

Anne Tatarsky

Recruiter, Western New York

Returned Volunteer, Dominican Republic 2008-2010

(585) 524-6857 (Mobile)

(212) 352-5440 (Regional Office)

Other important dates to save with details coming closer to the date of the event:

July 26th: Buffalo Bisons baseball game, Italian Night at the ball park

August16 th: volunteer event: United Way Day of Caring

September: annual Fall kickoff event

October: social event

November 19th: annual Thanksgiving dinner

The board is looking forward to our events in 2107 and we hope you can join us for our monthly activities.

Highlights:

Did you receive the spring addition of Worldview? RPCV Tony Agnello was asked to write an article for this addition. He wrote how Buffalo RPCVS, the organization he began at Orchard Park and how local Buffalo agencies are helping to resettle refugees in the Buffalo area. The article will appear as a separate attachment from the newsletter.

Buffalo area RPCVs recently provided a $500.00 grant for refugee resettlement, to Orchard Park Educational Outreach. OPEO is a high school service organization that has supported local and international assistance projects for more than two decades. The OPEO team of twenty students, their advisers, along with a few supportive parents and six RPCVs and spouses, used the support grant to repair and furnish, provision and refurbish a large apartment on Grant St. in Buffalo’s vibrant and rejuvenated West Side.

The project, which was started and finished on Saturday May 13th,established a home for a Yazidi refugee family of seven from Northern Iraq whom we are assisting through the Journey’s End program. The Yazidi ethnic group hasbeen besiegedby the Islamic State (ISIS) because of their unorthodox cultural belief system that honors and respects Islam, Zoroastrianism and Christianity.The Islamic State (ISIS) targeted this ethnic group, enslaved Yazidi women and engaged in genocide against Yazidi men and boys.

Many RPCVS and PC recruiter Anne Tatarsky on May 16th, hosted our anual send off party. 8 had made reservations to attend the party but only 2 joined us for the eveing with their families. Hannah leaves for Zambia in June while Maria leaves for South Africa in July. It was an evening of sharing wonderful stories about our Peace Corps experiences and wishing the 2 the best of luck. Ken Kreinheder shared with us how one of his former students from Uganda is nowa Supreme Court Justice. We heard how some volunteers seem to be the teachers who did it all including teaching physical education and home econmonics. But then had cooks!

Something of Interest:


We invite all members of the Peace Corps community to a special commemoration of John F. Kennedy's centennial. Join NPCA, Boston Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (BARPCVs), and our partner and host, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, for a special celebration inBoston onSaturday, May 27, 2017.
This special centennial event will celebrate the lasting legacy of President Kennedy and the enduring impact that Peace Corps Volunteers and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers continue to have at home and abroad.
We invite you to visit the museum (free admission for RPCVs) and join us for a special afternoon program featuring reflections from those among the first Peace Corps Volunteers and those recently returning from service. More than 56 years after its founding, the ideals central to Peace Corps service are just as relevant and impactful as ever.
BARPCV will host additional activities that weekend, including a service project on Sunday.

RSVP dinner:
Please complete and return with check payable to RPCV/Buffalo.
c/o Ginna Coon 26 Chassin Ave, Amherst, NY 14226
ByThursday June 8th , 2017 to reserve your seat. Make checks payable to RPCV/Buffalo. Cost is $25 per person
Name of RPVC attending:______Number attending:______
Phone:______
Email: ______
Address:______
Amount enclosed:______
Once we have received your reservation, you will receive a phone call or email to confirm your reservation.
Please note checks will not be cashed until after the event on June 16th.
After June 8th, you will still be responsible for payment, if you are unable to attend.