Nita Lowey Announces $450M for Peace Corps on Chris Matthews Show

RPCV Chris Matthew, RPCV Maureen Orth, and Rep. Nita Lowey on Hardball

More Peace Corps is looking more likely.

This afternoon, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced on RPCV Chris Matthew’s show Hardball that the proposed Peace Corps budget would increase to $450 million (over $340 million, last year) that would help expand Peace Corps’s presence to 20 additional countries.

Congress will vote next week. Lowey chairs the Appropriations Committee.

Check out the segment here (find the story “What’s Next for the Peace Corps?” among the images to the left of the video player).

“Have Rainbow, Will Travel” – Peace Corps Info for Prospective LGBT Volunteers

In honor of Pride Month, Peace Corps will offer an online info session this Saturday, June 20th, 11 am – 12 pm Pacific time, exploring the issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals who serve their country through Peace Corps.

All Peace Corps Volunteers must work hard to adapt to their service assignments, learn a foreign language, and fit in with the local culture. LGBT Volunteers face special additional challenges, including being discreet, if not entirely closeted, about their sexual identities while in their host communities.

This online info session — requiring an internet connection — will discuss topics such as:

• Balancing the desire to be true to ourselves with the need to be respectful of the host community

Share Your Story of Service: It Could Show Up as the Plot of Your Favorite T.V. Show

Service Nation — the coalition of organizations campaigning for a new age of service and citizenship in the United States — is asking for your service stories.

This past year, Service Nation organizers have been working hard to bring Hollywood and the service movement closer together. Now, through a cooperative effort led by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the entertainment industry will “shine a spotlight on the great service and volunteer heroes who are changing our world for the better, both at home and abroad” by fictionalizing real-life stories of service, and the impact of service.

The stories will be used as inspiration for writers at various television networks and shows. Here are some guidelines from Service Nation:

• These stories need not be recent examples, but should be true.