Peace Corps Park

FOM Members Contributions to the Peace Corps Park

Paul Murphy, Johor Bahru, 1971-73, FoM Treasurer

pmurphy_856@msn.com  

The Peace Corps Park, to be constructed near Capitol Hill and the National Mall, will honor the service of those who have served in the Peace Corps and also remind the public that the Peace Corps still exists and is looking to future generations for volunteers to serve humanity around the globe.

The Peace Corps Park will be much more than a memorial to the past. For example, a visitor, using their cell phone at the park, will learn about the Peace Corps, the countries where PCVs have served, and the current needs for additional Volunteers. This could trigger an interest in the Peace Corps which could eventually lead to an application to become a future volunteer. To learn more about the Peace Corps Park go to the Peace Corps Foundation (PCF) website  www.peacecorpscommemorative.org

In response to a challenge from the Peace Corps Park Foundation (PCF) to all NPCA (National Peace Corps Association) affiliate groups, the FoM Board embarked on a campaign to encourage donations from our members. So far, the response of Malaysia RPCVs for contributions to the Peace Corps Park has been incredible. The PCF recently reported that Friends of Malaysia is the leading fundraising partner, with $25,285.40, see Peace Corps Park Fundraising Partners. Since then, FoM members have donated even more.

Periodically, we visually scan the PCF list of all donors to look for FoM members, and add their to names  to the FoM Digital Wall of Honor for donors, see below and also posted on our website, but we are sure that we’ve missed some. Therefore, if you donated or will donate directly to the PCF website, and you don’t see your name on the FoM Digital Wall of Honor, please contact me (pmurphy_856@msn.com) Let know how much you gave and I will add your donation to our group’s total and your name to our Digital Wall.

Even with incomplete recordkeeping, there are currently 87 donors on the FoM Digital Wall. This represents almost a quarter of FoM members. About 1.4% of all PCVs served in Malaysia (3,500/240,000), but FoM donors represent 4.4% of all Peace Corps Park donors (87/1,937)!

For those who have not yet gotten around to donating or would like to donate some more, no donation is too large or small. A donation would be a small return for how the Peace Corps changed your life. The Peace Corp Foundation has raised $6.78 million toward the goal of $12 million so, we still have a long way to go. The PCF has recently created on our website a PCF-FoM online button  for you to donate directly with your credit card. This is the easiest way to donate, and we will immediately know how much was donated through FoM. Alternatively, you can write a check and mail it the Peace Corps Foundation (details here); be sure to write "Credit to Friends of Malaysia" on the memo line. All donations will be recognized on the FoM Digital Wall of Honor on the FoM Website and on the Peace Corps Park website. All donations are tax deductible.

There are many other features of making donations. For example, if you don’t really want another pair of socks for your next birthday, tell your family and friends to make a gift in your honor. Anyone can donate in honor of a RPCV (or anyone else), and both the Honoree and the Donor name will appear on the PCF and FoM Digital Walls of Honor in the section “Gifts in Tribute.” Tell family and friends that this would be a gift that has real meaning to you. It will help create the Peace Corps Park to remind the public what the Peace Corps has done, encourage future generations to serve, and it will never go out of style.

On the Ways to Give | Peace Corps Foundation | DC page of the PCF website, you can also donate through a variety of other ways, including Qualified Charitable Distributions, Donor Advised Funds, Charitable Remainder Trust, and other mechanisms.  Discuss these options with your tax advisor and you can also ask questions directly with the Peace Corps Foundation office (202) 251-6216.   If you donate through one of these other ways, please let me know so that your contribution can be recorded with Friends of Malaysia (Paul Murphy, pmurphy_856@msn.com).