October 2023 Newsletter
Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 12:14PM
Fellow India volunteers and Friends,
The Friends of India continues its efforts to maintain connections with the other Peace Corps volunteers who served in India from 1961-1976 and with others who have connections with India. We also raise funds for a long-standing charity (see below).
As always, if you wish to remove yourself from our (infrequent) mailings, please reply at this e-mail address and we will take you off our e-mailing list.
*** Election Time ***
Our most urgent business at hand is choosing a new leadership team (Board of Directors). Our President John Chromy has asked to step down this year and all of our board positions are open for re-election. For those of you who would like to help, as president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, or membership director, please nominate yourself to us by replying to this email by October 15. We also welcome advisors to join us as we plan future projects. We will hold an election in the fall to fill the above positions. The current incumbents are listed at the bottom of this newsletter. The FOI operation has evolved into a, primarily, digital platform. Hence, some familiarity with e-mail, word processing, and Zoom type meetings, etc. is recommended for officers.
Our current president has provided the following job description for his position and assures those interested that the job is not overly onerous:
1) Prepare an agenda and preside over two zoom meetings of the FOI board annually
2) Encourage and coordinate with the Treasurer for her/him to keep the group informed via the Treasurer's Report at the zoom meetings
3) See that one of the group volunteers to a) edit the FOI newsletter b) represents FOI to the National Peace Corps Association c) maintains the mailing list
4) Occasionally touch base with the FOI webmaster to encourage her continued voluntary service to FOI and to guide on any content issues
5) Encourage the flow of ideas amongst the members
Staying in Touch
For those of you who have lost touch, our main means of communication are our website at https://ganga633.squarespace.com and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/52837674147
Our Legacy
Oral histories are a wonderful means of putting on record your memories for your descendants and for historians of Peace Corps in India. Some of us have recorded our Peace Corps oral histories through the University of Kentucky. Information is available athttps://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7bdw2tkjfs9
American University is actively gathering memorabilia from Peace Corps volunteers and archiving the material with the hope of eventually establishing a Peace Corps Museum. We have visited the archives and recommend it for a virtual or in-real-life visit. More information is at https://www.american.edu/cas/museum/2021/peace-corps-at-60.cfm
Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation
A past president of the National Peace Corps Association leads a charitable foundation which plans to build a Peace Corps commemorative park in Washington DC. They are raising funds and hope for a ground-breaking next year. More information is at https://www.peacecorpscommemorative.org
Charities
The Lucky Dozen is a 501(c)3 charity and is directly created, funded, and supported by the donors of the Friends of India beginning in 2008. The goal is to provide educational opportunities for the very poor and give hope to the marginalized students.
Contributions are welcome and can be made by:
1. Sending a check payable to 'Friends of India' to:
Friends of India
c/o Roger Olson, Treasurer
26401 Las Alturas Ave.
Laguna Hills, CA - 92653-6233 or
2. via Zelle (contact via e-mail at foi.rpcv@gmail.com with Subject “Lucky Dozen” for instructions)
Volunteers from India-42 have asked us to publicize a scholarship program they are supporting at Marudam Farm School in Tamil Nadu. Details are available at marudamfarmschool.org.
Our Mission Statement
The organization, Friends of India, founded by Peace Corps volunteers who had served in India, exists for the following purposes:
1) To provide a network of communication and action for those RPCVs who continue to have an interest in India.
2) To record and foster a history of the India/Peace Corps partnership and program which flourished between 1961 and 1976.
3) To encourage all FOI members to donate their memorabilia and oral histories to Peace Corps repositories
4) To periodically organize gatherings of India RPCVs and their families in reunions or other exchange events.
5) To identify and share with FOI members interesting information, media links and articles on current events and trends in India of today.
6) To encourage all members to continue their service to our beloved India, by financially supporting our 'Lucky Dozen' charity and other charities identified under "Charities" on our website.
7) To maintain an informative liaison with the Embassy of India
Friends of India officers and advisors
John Chromy, President (interim) jchromy42@gmail.com
Roger Olson, Treasurer bitsandbytes@cox.net
Donald Camp, Secretary donacamp@aol.com
Roger Engstrom, Advisor iowaraju@gmail.com
Tondalaya Gillespie, Advisor tondalaya2008@gmail.com
Tom Howard, Advisor tfh413@gmail.com
Lois Schneider, Advisor lois1117@gmail.com
Tom Roschke, Advisor tomroschke@aol.com
Tom Carter, Advisor trc.rpcv65@gmail.com
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