Category Archives: Service News

03.13.09
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Peace Corps Volunteer Found Dead in Benin

Kate and a "young friend"

Kate and a "young friend"

ABC News reported Thursday that a female Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Benin was found dead outside her home early in the morning on March 12.

Kate Puzey was 24 years old, and had joined Peace Corps in July 2007. She was from Cumming, GA, north of Atlanta. You can read the blog she kept, and notes people are posting for her.

Here is a thoughtful account from a fellow Benin sojourner Xeni Jardin.

According to a Peace Corps statement issued March 13:

Peace Corps Acting Director Olsen said, “Kate was an exemplary member of the Peace Corps family whose dedicated work as a secondary English teacher in a rural public school in Badjoude, Benin, contributed greatly to the lives of the Beninese citizens. Kate’s life and work spoke volumes about the kind of dedication she had to her service as a Volunteer, and the U.S. Peace Corps is greatly saddened by her loss. Our condolences go out to her family and loved ones at this time.”

According to Robert Wood at a March 12th U.S. State Department press briefing, it’s not clear whether she suffered a picture-42natural death. Peace Corps and the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou are coordinating with local police authorities, who are currently conducting the investigation and will make a final pronouncement on Kate’s cause of death.

March 12th, the State Department issued this statement:

The State Department was saddened by the news of the death of a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in Benin, West Africa. Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington has notified the volunteer’s next of kin. The U.S. Embassy in Cotonou has dispatched the Regional Security Officer and other personnel to the village where the volunteer was stationed, located several hours away from the capital. The Government of Benin has expressed condolences to the U.S. government and pledged full cooperation and support in this matter.

The State Department expresses our deepest condolences to the family of the volunteer and the Peace Corps.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Kate Puzey’s family, and the Volunteers she served with in Peace Corps. I am so sorry. Kate died in service to her country and we should all be grateful for her service.

Kate was one of 100 Volunteers serving in Benin.  In the Peace Corps’s 40-year history in Benin, 1,631 Peace Corps Volunteers have served. Current assignments involve responding to four of Benin’s development priorities: improved quality of life for the rural population, expanded educational opportunities for the masses, increased food production, and reforestation.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Lois Puzey said her daughter’s body will be accompanied back to Georgia in a few days by a Peace Corps official. Services are set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Alpharetta’s Sanctuary at Birmingham United Methodist Church.” Read the article from March 15th the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Kate Puzey Memorial Fund has been established to help causes Puzey believed in. Donations can be sent to: c/o Smith, Gambrell, and Russel, LLP, Suite 3100, 1230 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309-3592.

Here is a slideshow with photos of Kate, family and friends from WSBTV News. The National Peace Corps Association’s Peace Corps Polyglot blog has more information as well.

Did you know Kate? Serve with her? I invite you to leave a comment here.

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03.12.09
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GIVE Act Gets Robust Approval from the House Labor and Education Committee

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

March 11th, the House Education and Labor Committee approved H.R. 1388, the Generations InvigoratingVolunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, on a 34-3 vote. The bill is expected to be sent to the full House for consideration during the week of March 16 and is the House companion bill to the Serve America Act (S. 277).

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Committee Chair

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Committee Chair

Chairman George Miller, Ranking Member Howard McKeon, Subcommittee Chair Rep. Carolyn McCarthy,  Rep. Todd Platts and others on the Committee issued a  Committee summary of the GIVE Act, outlined below:

“America is facing unprecedented challenges – the economy, health care, energy, schools in need of improvement and more. With our public needs intensifying in this recession, there’s no better time to support and energize community service and volunteerism to help our country get through this economic crisis, restore confidence and prepare our nation for the future. President Obama has called on Congress to create new opportunities for Americans to build a stronger country by helping students perform better in school, prepare Americans for green and innovative 21st century jobs, rebuild cities in times of disaster, improve communities and much, much more. This legislation answers his call. It will launch a new era of service that will give Americans of all ages an opportunity to invest through service in our nation’s recovery.”

Specifically, the House Education and Labor Committee’s bill will do the following things, as outlined by the Committee: Continue reading →

03.10.09
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Senate Hearing Today on the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act

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Shirley Sagawa

Update, April 21, 2009: President Obama signs the Serve America Act into law. To take effect October 1, 2009.

March 10th at 2:30 p.m. EST, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing on S. 277, the bipartisan Serve America Act, introduced by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

Witnesses will include:

According to a statement released by Acting CEO of CNCS Nicola Goren, witness statements will be available when the hearing starts and the hearing will be streamed live over the Internet and archived for future viewing.  To watch, look for the Audio/Video Link on the HELP Committee Hearings page at 2:30 pm EST/11:30 am EST.

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03.09.09
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New Podcast: Kiff Gallagher’s Music National Service Initiative

picture-4The New Service podcast today features Kiff Gallagher, founder of Peacelabs Music and the Music National Service Initiative (MNSI).

Today’s guest is Kiff Gallagher, founder of Peacelabs Music and the Music National Service Initiative. Listen to the podcast.

In 2008, The Aspen Institute named MNSI’s MusicianCorps — a developing AmeriCorps-type program that will enable musicians to serve in low-income schools — one of the top ten public policy proposals that would strengthen the United States.

Before turning his attention back to music, Kiff served on the legislative team that developed AmeriCorps during the early Clinton Administration, and went on to work at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

He’s also worked in the field of corporate social responsibility and sustainability as an advisor at Odwalla, and president of the Social Venture Network. More recently he’s served on President Obama’s National Arts Policy Committee and as an advisor on Obama’s Transition Team.

The program has a public event coming up at the Kennedy Center on April 22, co-hosted by Music National Service and Center for American Progress.

I talked with Kiff Gallagher about the need for music and arts education in the schools, about his role in developing the national service legislation that shaped AmeriCorps in 1993, and the future of the Music National Service Initiative.

The podcast features the music of flamenco guitarist Mark Ferguson, from his debut album Quemando Chante, available on iTunes.

Here’s a link to our podcast; also check out this story about Kiff Gallagher on NPR.

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03.05.09
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Reminder from the Corporation’s General Counsel

In this time of hyper advocacy for national service, the General Counsel for the Corporation for National and Community Service gently reminds Corporation-supported grantees, corps members, and sponsoring organizations what not to do.

In a memo issued March 2nd, Frank R. Trinity urges national service folks to: Continue reading →